What If
by perfect sorceress
Summary: Roxas and Olette meet on the train to Twilight University. They're friends in no time, and they both go back to their homes in the outskirts. Once Olette finds out a terrible secret about Roxas's girlfriend, she doesn't know what to do... Roxette
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (II), Roxas, Olette, Seifer, etc.**

**Author's Note: Okay, whenever you see a little "!!!" sign, it means I'm skipping further ahead in time, like I did in my other story, but I used "111" instead. Okay, back to more important business…Welcome to the premiere of **_**What If**_**! I have been thinking about this story for sometime, and so…here it is! Enjoy! (I hope…)**

**Warning: Aw…Roxas… (Pouts pitifully)**

**Quick Author Babble: - d a y j u a n a, I made this for you. Sorry I had to delete**_**Say Those Words**_

What If

Chapter 1: Homesick

"Roxas, get up! You're going to miss your train! I said _up_, you lazy bum!"

Roxas Hera groaned and plunged his head under the pillow. He didn't _want_to get up.

"Roxas, I said NOW!!!"

Roxas was literally knocked out of bed. Mrs. Hera's impatient yells echoed down the street. Grumbling none too happily, he sat up on his bed, thinking.

Today was the day he left the calm outskirts of Twilight Town and plunged right into downtown. He was going to leave all his friends, his parents, his home…and for what? To go to Twilight University.

It had been a couple of months since Roxas had been accepted. He had always thought it was his dream—to go there and get a comfy life, study hard, and get a good job, but he'd been wrong.

He _loved_his home. He wanted to stay. He didn't know how Hayner and Pence would get along without him—they always did something stupid that got them into loads of trouble. He'd miss the laughter of children in the streets and the quietness of obvious lack of traffic in the night.

Roxas even had a girlfriend he had to leave behind. How in the world was he going to say goodbye to Naminé?

Roxas sighed and tried to reason with himself. This was _Twilight University_. It was the best university in the country. He'd never get another chance like this again. He'd have a great future, and besides, he'd see his friends and family again.

Right?

His friends would move on. Naminé would move on. His family would remember him, but not care for him as much as they used to. And what if Roxas was too busy to return back to the quiet outskirts of Twilight Town?

No. Roxas didn't want this. He wanted a future, but he wanted friends…his old ones. Hayner and Pence would forget him. They'd make new friends with no problem.

Roxas sighed and slipped into his clothes. He looked at his room for one last time—it was so empty and clean. It already looked like he'd never lived in it.

He lugged his suitcase downstairs. Hayner, Pence, and Naminé were all waiting for him.

"He looks so mature!" Pence gasped.

"Our…little Roxas…is all grown up!" Hayner sobbed teasingly.

"Shut up!" Roxas snapped, even though he was laughing.

Mr. and Mrs. Hera entered the foyer, Mrs. Hera looking like she'd burst into tears at any moment.

"It seems like only yesterday when he was just a little baby!" she said. "And now look at him…heading off to university! Oh, where have all the years gone?"

She cried into her husband's shoulder. Mr. Hera patted her on the back.

"Now, dear, Roxas will come visit us, won't you, son?" he remarked, looking at the blond.

The very doubt had been nagging Roxas all day.

"Of course I will," he stated, trying to hide the guilt that was running through his body. "Don't cry, Mom."

"_Not cry?_" Mrs. Hera sobbed, looking at him with puffy, red eyes. "How can I_not cry_? My son is leaving home forever! Oh, I knew I should've taken more baby pictures! Why did you always have to stop me, Booker?"

"Iowa, our bookcase is full of albums."

"Well, obviously not enough albums, because I can't stop crying about it!"

Mr. Hera took Mrs. Hera away to look at albums. Roxas turned to look at his friends.

"We'll miss you, man," Hayner said, patting Roxas on the back.

"Yeah, write to me," Pence remarked.

"I will," Roxas promised.

He turned to look at Naminé, who was looking down at the floor like she couldn't face him.

"Naminé…" he said softly.

She looked up, her pale blue eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, Roxas!" she cried suddenly, running up to him and hugging him.

Roxas took a deep breath in, thinking of all the memories he was going to leave behind, Naminé being the most important one of them all.

"I'll miss you," he said.

"Me too," Naminé remarked, tearing away from him. "But I know you'll do well in Twilight University. You'll make lots of friends too."

"But don't forget us!" Hayner shouted. "If you do, we'll come back and kill you, got it?"

Roxas laughed, a bit relieved that Hayner understood his feelings.

"Yeah, I get it."

Mr. and Mrs. Hera came back from the living room, Mrs. Hera looking like she was going to have a big, long cry as soon as everyone left.

Naminé kissed Roxas for a long moment, until Roxas once again picked up his luggage and looked at everyone.

"Bye," he said, and shut the door behind him.

Roxas's gaze couldn't leave the ground as he walked to the train station. He seemed to be walking in slow motion, and all around him it seemed to be completely quiet, as if Roxas had gone deaf.

It was only when Roxas reached the ticket counter did he look up.

"One ticket to downtown please," he said, fighting back tears. "One way."

"Here you go," said the man behind the counter, passing him a ticket. "The train will arrive in five minutes."

Roxas sat down on a bench. Not many people seemed to be using the train today. The station was quiet and empty. Roxas sighed and closed his eyes.

"Ollie, wait!" a high-pitched voice suddenly cried, echoing through the nearly empty building.

Roxas's eyes snapped open. The glass doors swung open to reveal a girl with long, messy, brown hair tied into two braids, her jade eyes twinkling with anticipation.

"I_can't_, Selph!" she said. "I don't want to be late! If I miss the train, I'll be in big trouble!"

She raced up to the ticket counter. The door was about to shut behind her when someone stopped it. A smaller girl with short, chestnut hair and lime eyes raced through it.

"One ticket please," the taller girl said politely. "One way."

"_Ollie!_" the other girl cried angrily, running up behind her friend. "You've got _loads_ of time! I can't believe you're leaving and you're not even saving time for your best friend!"

"Oh, yeah, three minutes will make a huge difference," the taller girl remarked, rolling her eyes and taking a ticket from the man. "Thanks!"

The two girls sat down beside Roxas.

"It's not funny, Ole," the shorter girl commented, crossing her arms. "I'm going to miss you, and before you know it you're going to have a new best friend, a boyfriend, an apartment, a job…I'll hardly be able to see you anymore."

She pouted.

"You're going to completely abandon me."

The taller girl crossed her arms and looked stubbornly at her best friend.

"You know that's not true!" she said. "I'll write! I'll visit! And I promise that if I ever meet any cute guys at TU, I'll tell you…"

This seemed to lift the shorter girl's spirit. She squealed happily.

"Okay, okay!" she cried. "But remember to keep all those promises. And give me a call, if you can deal with long distance charges. And if you make any boyfriends…"

"I promise I will tell you with full details," the other girl said as if it was an oath she'd learned by heart.

The train suddenly pulled up in front of them. Roxas stood up, and so did the girl and her friend. They hugged.

"I'll miss you, Ollie," the girl with chestnut hair said.

"Me too," said the other girl.

Roxas and the taller girl got onto the train. It was decidedly small, and no one was on it besides him and the girl. It was obvious not many people from the outskirts plunged into the city. The train waited a moment before moving again. The girl ran to the open door and waved to her friend.

"BYE, SELPHIE!!!" she yelled over the loud noise of the train.

Selphie's voice was drowned out and her figure slowly disappeared from sight. The girl turned back around and sat down in a chair, a couple of glistening tears sliding down her face.

"Hey…are you okay?" Roxas asked uncertainly, looking at her.

"Oh…I'm fine," the girl replied quickly, wiping the tears away. "I'll just…miss everyone…"

"Yeah, me too," Roxas said quietly.

The girl looked up at him, emerald eyes filled with curiosity.

"You're going to Twilight University too?" she asked.

Roxas nodded.

"Oh, cool, so am I!" she chirped. "Hi! I'm Olette Boone."

"Roxas Hera," Roxas said, shaking her hand.

"I've never lived anywhere other than Market Street before," Olette said. "It's going to be…strange."

"Same with me," Roxas remarked, "but…I don't know…It might be exciting."

Olette nodded.

"You're right, Roxas. I should be looking forward to it, not dreading it. Thanks so much."

Roxas bit his lip. He didn't exactly practice what he preached, but if it made Olette feel better…

The train came to a stop, and two young adults walked into the train. One was a girl, the other a boy. The girl had long, red hair and violet eyes. The boy had unruly, spiky, brown hair and eyes as blue as the ocean. The girl immediately sat down beside Olette, as if they'd known each other for years.

"Hi!" she chirped. "Are you guys going to TU?"

"TU?" repeated Roxas, a look of confusion passing over his face.

"Yeah," the boy said, nodding. "TU…you know, Twilight University?"

"Oh," Roxas remarked.

"We are!" Olette chirped.

The redheaded girl smiled.

"Great!" she chirped. "I guess we should get to know each other a little better. I'm Kairi May, and this is my best friend, Sora Ivo. We've known each other since we were four. We have another friend, Riku Addison, but instead of going to university he's traveling the world."

"I would've gone too, if Kairi hadn't made me come here…" Sora muttered.

"Sora!" shouted Kairi. "It's better for your future, and besides, you got accepted! I wanted _someone_to go with me."

Sora grumbled in response. It was clear he'd wanted to travel. It was strange, because Roxas wanted to anything but.

"I'm Olette Boone, and this is my new friend, Roxas Hera," Olette said. "We just met on the train, actually. We're from the outskirts of Twilight Town."

"We're in the heart of Twilight Town," Sora said. "You should go there sometime. That's where all the fun is."

Roxas turned to look out the window. It was funny—he already missed home, and yet everyone else here couldn't care less.

The four teenagers sat at the back of the train, talking as if they'd known each other all their lives. But as soon as he came in, everyone fell silent.

His aura alone demanded silence. He winked at Olette and Kairi, making them turn bright red. His blond hair almost completely covered his blue eyes, his black hat covering the whole of his forehead. His long, white, trench coat drifted behind him, giving his appearance a mysterious sort of air.

"Humph," Roxas heard Sora mutter. "Looks like we've got jerks coming along for the ride as well."

"What makes you think he's a…?" Kairi began, when the very boy approached them.

The boy paid no attention to Sora and Roxas. In fact, he used Sora's head as an armrest.

"Oh, I don't know…" Sora said through gritted teeth as he looked up at the boy's arm on his head. "I just have this feeling."

"Hello, girls," the boy said with a flirty smile. "I'm Seifer…Seifer Almasy. Are you heading to TU?"

"Yes, we are," Olette remarked. "You're coming too?"

"Indeed," Seifer replied. "After all, I am quite a genius."

Sora stood up suddenly, swatting Seifer's arm off his head.

"I'm sorry, but I don't let blowhards _lean on my head_!" he shouted.

"Sora!" cried Kairi, flabbergasted.

She pulled him back down into his seat. Sora crossed his arms and glared at Seifer, his piercing blue eyes stabbing right into him.

"Hmm…" Seifer said, looking at the brunet. "You've got some nerve, Shorty."

"_Shorty?!_" yelled Sora, lunging at him. "Let's see how tall _you_are when I'm finished with you…"

"Sora!" cried Kairi again, pulling him back down.

Roxas didn't blame Sora. Seifer was the kind that got on your nerves. He too glared at Seifer. Seifer turned and sat at the front of the train.

"Sora, what was that all about?!" Kairi asked, her voice high-pitched.

"Calls me short, does he?" Sora grumbled. "Flirting with you is the last thing he's going to do…"

"You…you can't murder him!" Olette gasped.

"I'll help him with the murdering part," Roxas said.

Kairi and Olette continued to look horrified. Sora turned to Roxas.

"Remember that name…" he said.

Roxas nodded.

"Seifer Almasy."

_What if I hated someone you liked? _

**Okay, I guess you all noticed my extreme overuse of Seifer, and most people think this will lead to Yaoi…ah, no, it won't. Sorry if you like it (I know there are lots of people who do), but I don't.**

_**ROXETTE**_

**That's all I'm going to say. **

**Well, I hope you liked it. It's kind of depressing, and I felt it was my duty to put Sora and Kairi in there (I'm crazy and addicted, if you must know), but overall, the three characters I needed are in there, so that's good enough for me.**

**Read and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (II), Roxas, Olette, Seifer, etc.**

**Author's Note: YAY!!! I got five reviews! Okay, that's not very good, but whatever, it's better than what I got for the first chapter of **_**Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me**_**, and I don't think I even deserved it. Anyway, I think this chapter is better…kind of random…but I had to put an argument in their somewhere…SHUN THE PEACEMAKERS!!! Okay, I'm done.**

**Warning: Random argument ahead. **

**Quick Author Babble: I suddenly feel Selphie is a better character than I thought she was.**

Chapter 2: The Good Old Times

"Roxas! Roxas, wait up!"

Olette raced after her friend as he walked quickly down the hallway. Roxas stopped at her voice. He turned to look at her, his blue eyes glistening with the normal sadness they usually contained.

Roxas was very quiet. He kept to himself, and he always seemed sad. Even when he talked, it was like his mind was on someone else.

"Hi, Olette," he said.

He looked like he was trying to concentrate on the girl before him, but his eyes couldn't lie. He was thinking of someone…someone who was definitely not Olette.

"Roxas, can we talk?" Olette asked.

"_Talk?_" repeated Roxas, like the word was unfamiliar to him.

"Yeah, you know, about our lives," Olette said.

"Um…okay," Roxas remarked.

"Great!" Olette chirped. "Follow me!"

**222**

Cocoa's Coffee Shop was just down the street from Twilight University. As Roxas and Olette left the grounds, Sora and Kairi walked by, talking about something or other. Olette caught pieces of it like "my sister" and "glad I left" from Sora and "no siblings" and "you're so mean" from Kairi.

"Oh, hi, guys!" Kairi chirped. "What're you doing?"

"Going to Cocoa's," Olette responded, flipping a brown braid back. "What're_you_doing?"

"Well…we were going to go study the new math theory we learned today…" Sora said, glancing at Kairi, "but your idea is much better. Let's go."

"_Sora!_" cried Kairi, crossing her arms. "You have to study! You hardly listened the whole class."

"Has it ever occurred to you that I didn't _want_to listen?" Sora remarked, crossing his arms as well. "You made me come here, but that doesn't mean I have to get good marks."

"Sora…"

"No. Too bad. I'm not going."

"_Sora_…"

"No, whining isn't going to get you anywhere."

"Sora, _please_?"

Kairi intertwined her fingers together and gave him the cutest, pleading look possible.

"No, that's not going to work…" Sora said, looking at her. "I'm not falling for that again…_You can't make me come_…"

Sora looked into her big, violet eyes.

"He is _so_going to lose," Roxas whispered to Olette.

"No…I-I won't…I'm not…" Sora stuttered. "Ugh…_fine_! Fine, Kairi, I'll _come_! Just no more sad face…I _hate_ that!"

Kairi grinned happily, apparently no longer sad.

"Works every time," she murmured to Roxas and Olette.

Olette giggled, Roxas lifted an eyebrow. Sora sighed and looked at Kairi.

"That's how she made me come here," Sora muttered. "Stupid, pleading, cute face…"

"_Cute _face?" repeated Roxas, crossing his arms.

"I-I mean _sad_ face!" Sora quickly corrected himself. "_Sad_ face…Easy mistake…"

"Hurry up, Sora, we've got to _go_!" Kairi shouted.

"Okay, okay," Sora said. "Sheesh, we're only studying something that we already learned…"

As Sora and Kairi continued to walk to the library, Roxas shook his head.

"He needs to get some backbone," he remarked.

"I think he just likes her," Olette said. "It's hard to refuse someone you like…"

"Well, if that's what _you_think…" Roxas muttered, scratching the back of his head. "I still think he needs some spine."

They turned and continued their way to Cocoa's Coffee Shop. As they entered the small café, the relaxing smell of freshly-baked pastries and coffee reached Olette's nose. She sighed. She could basically _live_here.

"Two medium coffees please," Olette said to the woman behind the counter.

The woman left and came back a few moments later with mugs filled with steaming coffee. Olette took one mug and Roxas took the other. They sat down at a table. Olette put in three spoons of sugar and a bit of cream. She took a sip and sighed peacefully—it was perfectly sweet.

"So, Roxas…" she said, looking at the blond boy, "how do you like TU?"

"It's okay, I guess," Roxas responded, once again looking like he was zoning out.

He looked down into his coffee, peering at his reflection in the dark liquid. Olette watched him with a sort of interest. She was trying to see his eyes.

_What is he thinking? _Olette wondered, looking at him. _I can never tell…I need to get him to talk somehow…_

"What was your life like?" Olette asked suddenly. "You know, before you moved here?"

"What was my life like?"

Roxas's head snapped up at the question, as if no one had ever asked him that before. He seemed to relax as Olette looked at him with her normal, sweet expression. He looked back into his coffee.

"Well…" he said. "I had two best friends."

"Two?" Olette repeated. "Impressive! What are their names?"

"Hayner and Pence," Roxas replied, laughing a little. "I remember when Hayner dared Pence to climb a tree in his backyard. Pence got stuck up there…They needed to call the fire station to get him down. They're such idiots."

Olette giggled. She couldn't imagine how someone would get stuck in a tree—it was so bizarre.

"And I my parents…they're a bit overprotective," Roxas continued. "I guess that's why I usually didn't get involved in Hayner and Pence's adventures. I was kind of just a witness."

Olette nodded.

"I had a pet parakeet named Birch," Roxas said. "He passed away when I was twelve."

"Oh," Olette remarked. "I'm sorry."

"That's okay. He had to go sometime, right?"

Olette nodded slowly.

"And I had…a girlfriend…her name is…Naminé Panchali."

"Panchali…that means princess," Olette said, a sadness bubbling in the pit of her stomach.

"And she is," Roxas remarked. "She's perfect, exactly like a princess."

Olette looked back down into her coffee. Her last name, Boone, was just a name, and yet Naminé got this lovely name that meant princess. Panchali even_sounded_better than Boone. Even though she'd never met her, Olette already hated her.

"I always protected Naminé," Roxas admitted. "She always seemed so fragile that…"

"You were afraid she would break," Olette finished for him.

It was so strange. Olette knew Hera was a Greek goddess—the goddess meant to protect. It was perfect. Hera and Panchali—protector and princess.

Olette didn't say this to Roxas. Her gaze continued to look at the coffee with a keen interest.

"So…can I ask a question?" Olette asked.

"What?"

"Why do you always use past tense when you're talking about them?"

Roxas's blue eyes narrowed.

"Well…I left. They're by themselves now. I'm probably not their friend anymore. I left them behind. There's no doubt they'll leave me as well."

Olette jumped up at the comment.

"That's _not_true!"

Roxas also stood up, just to stare right into her eyes.

"You know it is. They're gone. They'll forget me in a couple of weeks. That's all it takes. I'm by myself now…so are they."

"I'm still best friends with Selphie!" Olette cried, feeling anger bubble up inside her at the negativity Roxas was passing off. "We made a promise…I said I'd come back…and I'd write…and I'd call…"

"But will she be your best friend forever? What about Kairi?"

"What _about_Kairi?"

"You'll probably be best friends with her by the end of the week."

"That's not true! A promise is a _promise_, Roxas! Maybe you should follow through with yours!"

Roxas looked at her in confusion.

"I never made any promises," he remarked.

"Oh, come on!" Olette said, crossing her arms. "You've been best friends with these people for years and you're telling me you haven't promised them once that you'd be best friends forever? That you and Naminé would be together forever? That even if you get split up, you'd keep in touch?"

Roxas paused.

"Maybe you're different, but I follow through with my promises," Olette remarked. "It's _your_ choice if you want to break yours."

And Olette stormed out of the café, all the people in the restaurant staring at her.

**222**

By the time Olette reached her apartment she was in a flurry of tears. She didn't know why, but yelling at Roxas was almost like yelling at Selphie, which was ridiculous because she'd only known Roxas for a week and Selphie for fourteen years.

She picked up the phone on her desk and dialed Selphie's number. Yes, she would deal with the long distance bills. She didn't really care right then.

"Hello? Selphie speaking!"

Selphie's bubbly voice came through the phone.

"Hi, Selphie, it's Olette," Olette said, wiping away some tears, not that it mattered because they reappeared a few moments later.

"Olette…?" Selphie seemed to pause halfway in her excited squeal. "Oh, Ollie, what's wrong? Are you crying?"

Selphie's voice was filled with worry.

"Y-Yeah, I'm sorry," Olette said. "I was planning for this phone call to be happier than this…"

"Oh, what's wrong?" Selphie asked. "Don't tell me…you asked a cute guy out and he said no."

"No!" Olette cried, but the statement made her laugh a little. "Do you _always_ have your mind on cute guys, Selph?"

"Don't be silly," Selphie replied. "Sometimes I have my mind on clothes. Duh, you know that, Ollie."

Olette was already feeling a little better talking to her happy-go-lucky friend. They were totally different, yet somehow were so close. Selphie was all fashion and boys. Olette liked basketball and studied hard. Both seemed to have a good laugh at each other's passions, and Olette was doing exactly that.

"So why are you crying?" Selphie asked, bring Olette down to her gloomy thoughts about Roxas.

"Well…I yelled at this guy…" Olette began.

"Ha!" Selphie cried. "I knew it had something to do with a guy! Was he cute?"

"_Selphie!_"

"Right, sorry. Listening…"

"His name is Roxas."

"Is he…?"

"Don't even say it."

Selphie laughed.

"Okay, okay. So what's with you and Roxas?"

"Well…we got into an argument. It was pretty horrible. We yelled really loudly and by the time we were done the whole café was watching."

Selphie took in a shaky breath as if it was the most horrible thing she'd ever heard.

"And you like him?"

"No!"

"So why are you crying about it?"

"I…"

Olette paused.

"We're just friends."

"Uh huh."

"And…I hate arguing with people."

"Yep."

"And…and…he's sort of my friend…"

"Right…"

"And…Selphie, are you even listening to me?!"

"Sorry, I just don't pay much attention to lies."

Olette turned beet red, from anger or embarrassment, she didn't know which.

"I'm not_lying_!" she yelled. "Honestly, I've only known him for a week!"

"Olette, if you didn't care much about this guy, then you wouldn't be making such a fuss about a silly little argument," Selphie stated matter-of-factly.

"It wasn't silly or little!" Olette retorted. "He said you and me wouldn't be best friends anymore after a week! I mean the _nerve_of this guy…He just likes being miserable…That's his problem…"

"Olette?"

"Yes?"

"You like him, don't you?"

Olette blushed as hard as she possibly could.

"_No!_ Shut up!"

"Ah. That's enough for me."

Olette paused.

"W-What…? What are you talking about?"

"Your exploding reaction means you're really emotional about Roxas."

Olette nearly choked.

"Oh, shut up, Selphie! Besides, he has a girlfriend…Naminé Panchali."

Olette couldn't help but make a face as she said the name.

"Well, too bad for Naminé Panchali! Roxas is yours now!"

Olette felt like she couldn't say anything else to change her friend's mind. She remained quiet for a few moments and so did Selphie. Finally Selphie started speaking again.

"So, this brings us back to the very important subject…" Selphie said. "Is he_cute_?"

_What if I told people you were the cutest boy I ever met? _

**Cheychey41: Thanks! Here's…one of your updates!**

**Zestychiken2: Thanks so much! (Seifer has to be the bad guy because he's an egomaniac, and only egomaniacs can be bad guys, if you ask me.) Here's your update!**

**- d a y j u a n a: Ha, I thought you would be happy. Thanks for all…the cookies and pretty junk. Thanks for reviewing and here's your update!**

**Rahi-1: Thanks! I liked Roxas x Naminé too, until I read this one story of Princess Kairi's…I loved it so much. Now Roxettes are my #1 crack pairing. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Bexmar: No, not actually. They were just joking. Sora and Roxas couldn't murder someone if they tried. (Hides Xehanort and all of Organization XIII behind back) Yeah, it's true; the bellybutton thing is just…ugh. I hate him just because of his personality, really. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like villains, it's just…he's not **_**evil**_**, evil. He's kind of just a jerk. (Clowns are evil, but I hate them…)**

**Okay… (Claps hands) Thanks, everyone! I liked the reviews I got! I'm trying to keep up with my Soriri and my Roxette and it's like AAHHH!!! However, I'm going to keep writing because even though it presses me for time, I like it. **

**Even though sometimes it gets confusing.**

**Read and review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (II), Roxas, Olette, Seifer, etc.**

**Author's Note: Okay, I stole the whole "holding" idea from **_**Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me**_**. So sue me. Don't expect too many similarities to pop up. I got Final Fantasy X today and OH MY GOD, I CAN'T WAIT TO PLAY IT!!! **

**Warning: Um…overuse of letters? (I'm guessing on this one.)**

**Quick Author Babble: Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X, Tidus, Yuna, Auron…YEAH! Oh, sorry, where were we?**

Chapter 3: Letters

"What's _wrong_with him?"

"I heard he made Olette cry…and she's so nice!"

"He's so antisocial. I don't know how Kairi and Sora ever got to be friends with him."

"Look at him. He's probably one of _those_types."

"Do you think he's mute?"

Roxas trudged down the hallway, people watching him with interest and disgust. Ever since his fight with Olette a couple of days ago, people had treated him like he had the plague. He heard every hurtful word that came out of everyone's mouths. He didn't know how Olette had managed to tell the whole of Twilight University in such short time.

And there was that very girl now. Some of the people's attention shifted to her. Her green eyes were cast downward, ignoring the people who came up to her and asked if she was okay.

Sora and Kairi came up from another hallway. They halted as they saw both their friends, looking a bit torn.

A big, muscled guy with a brown buzz cut came up to Roxas.

"You hurt her feelings," he grunted, pointing at Olette, who looked up. "Apologize."

"N-No, Rai, it's okay…" Olette stuttered, stepping forward.

But everyone else seemed to agree with Rai. Roxas looked at Olette, who looked like she might burst into tears.

"_You've been best friends with these people for years and you're telling me you haven't promised them once that you'd be friends forever?" _

"_Maybe you're different, but I follow through with my promises. It's YOUR choice if you want to break yours." _

"_What was your life like? You know, before you moved here?" _

"_That's not true! A promise is a PROMISE, Roxas! Maybe you should follow through with yours!"_

She was right. Of course she was right. But why did Roxas still have this feeling she was wrong?

"I'm sorry," he apologized, his voice sincere.

Olette looked at him for a long time.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I'm sorry too."

"This is just a show, isn't it, Blondie?!" Rai snapped, grabbing hold of Roxas's jacket. "You're doing this because everyone's got you surrounded! Let me tell you now, we respect people like Olette at TU! Worms like you, on the other hand…"

Rai slammed Roxas backwards into the wall, fist raised.

"They get the special treatment."

Roxas winced as the fist rapidly gained speed as it prepared to hit his face.

"STOP!!!" shouted Olette, grabbing Rai's arm and pulling him back. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Giving this twerp what he deserves!" Rai responded.

"He doesn't deserve anything! Do you even know what we fought over?!"

"Yes, actually. We heard Blondie here doesn't believe in being _friendly_. You should stop protecting him, Olette. He'll just abandon you too, along with his other ratty girlfriend."

Something inside Roxas exploded. He pounced on Rai, fingers digging into his shoulders.

"_Don't call her that!_" he shouted.

"Just a show," Rai stated, shaking his head.

Roxas growled and punched him in the face as hard as he could.

"_Roxas!_"

Sora ran in and tore Roxas off of Rai. Roxas's hand was covered in Rai's blood. He was almost satisfied as he realized he'd broken his nose.

Rai got up, holding his nose, blood leaking through his hands.

"That was no show," Roxas growled.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Olette crying. And with that, Kairi took her away from the hallway.

Everyone was staring at Roxas in awe. They were no longer upset. Some of them even looked confused.

"Roxas, let's get out of here," Sora hissed. "We're going to get killed…"

Sora didn't have time to make his friend escape. Seifer walked in and looked at the scene before him.

"Obviously I was wrong when I told everyone what I heard in Olette's conversation with Selphie," he said with a sick smile. "Who's your girlfriend, Hera?"

"It was _you_ who told everyone!" Roxas shouted.

"What, you thought a darling like Olette would tell everyone about a fight she had with her so-called friend?" Seifer remarked. "I live in the same apartment building as her. I saw her enter her apartment in tears. I couldn't help but listen in."

"In…tears?" Roxas repeated.

"Yes. Apparently she felt _very bad_ about yelling at you."

Roxas suddenly felt a huge amount of guilt. He'd been glaring at her, yelling at her, bringing her down…and she'd been crying because _she_yelled at _him_.

"Come on, Roxas, let's go," Sora said, glaring at Seifer.

Roxas could do nothing but follow him and ignore the whispers of the crowd behind him.

**222**

Roxas walked up the many stairs that led to Olette's apartment on the top floor. He'd gotten the address from Sora, who agreed that he should check if she was okay. Roxas hoped she was. None of this was Olette's fault—she'd basically been an innocent bystander.

Roxas finally reached the door he'd been looking for. He stopped as he heard voices inside.

"Olette, it wasn't your fault…" Kairi's voice, rather muffled, said from inside.

"Rai _attacked_him because of me!" Olette said. "This is my fault for being so nosy and asking what his life was like before he moved here! And now Rai's got a broken nose!"

"You didn't tell everyone about your argument," Kairi remarked. "You have to stop beating yourself up…"

Taking a deep breath, Roxas knocked on the door. The door opened, revealing Olette, her face tearstained, her eyes red. She looked up at Roxas and burst into tears.

"I'm sorry!" she said her voice cracked. "I'm so sorry…I didn't want this to happen…I didn't know…I'm sorry…"

"No, Olette, it's okay," Roxas remarked comfortingly. "You didn't do anything…"

"Yes, I did! I shouldn't have asked about your life…It's my fault we argued…It's my fault people started to shun you because of it…I hate myself…Now people hate you…I'm so…I'm so…"

Roxas wrapped his arms around her in the most comforting way.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Olette was trembling. Kairi walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"She's been like this ever since we left," she explained.

Roxas would fix that. He pulled apart from Olette to look in her eyes.

"You're right," he said. "I believe you."

"So you'll go back to your princess?" Olette asked. "I-I mean…you'll go back to your girlfriend?"

Roxas blinked. For a moment there, he'd completely forgotten about Naminé. He didn't think that was possible.

"Yes," he answered. "I will."

Olette smiled, but her emerald eyes were anything but happy.

"Good."

**222**

_Dear __Naminé:_

_I'm sorry I haven't written or called you yet. I've been busy. I've got to keep up with my grades, you know?_

_Well, I've got some friends I'd like you, Pence, and Hayner to meet. Maybe, someday, we could drop in? If you're not too busy, that is. I'm sure you'll like Kairi and Olette. Kairi's actually a lot like you, you know, and Olette's so nice and understanding. Maybe you've already met her friend, Selphie?_

_Sora's nice too, but I thought you might be more interested in meeting the girls._

_Same goes for Hayner. _

_Are you doing okay? How are my parents? Has Pence and Hayner already done something stupid? If so, please stop them. I really wish I was there to stop them myself, but I don't think I'd be able to make it in time. _

_I love you._

_Roxas_

_P.S. Do NOT show this letter to Hayner and Pence! My God, I don't know how many things they could say about this. _

Roxas put down the pen and folded up the letter and slid it into an envelope. Carefully writing the address and sticking a couple of stamps on, he left his apartment.

He walked down the steps and left the building and started to walk to the post office. The noise of traffic outside was almost unbearable. Roxas couldn't help but think it was so much nicer in the university grounds—at least it was quiet there.

He passed building after building, until finally he reached the post office. He walked inside. There was no one in except a man behind the counter, rifling through a pile of letters. A name tag pinned on his shirt had the name "Flurin" on it.

"Um…hello," Roxas said, walking up to the counter.

Flurin looked up, looking a bit flustered. As soon as he saw Roxas, he put on a big, fake grin.

"Oh, hello there!" he remarked. "Sorry for not greeting you earlier…As you see, my hands are tied…What can I help you with?"

"Well…I want to send this letter," Roxas said, holding out the envelope.

"I see," Flurin replied, taking the letter. "Well, you've come to the right place! I'll take it to the back for sending! Let's see this address…"

He looked down at it.

"Ah, yes, we've got a bunch also ready for sending here," Flurin stated.

He picked up a pile of letters, including Roxas's. As he turned to leave, one letter came soaring out of the pile he was holding. Roxas picked it up from the ground and looked after the retreating man.

"Uh…sir…you dropped…" he began, but Flurin had already disappeared into the back.

Roxas looked down at the letter. His eyes widened as he saw the familiar name written on the envelope.

_Selphie Tilmitt_

_199 Quill Blvd._

_Twilight Town_

Could this be from Olette? Curiosity was taking over Roxas. Somehow he really wanted to see what Olette had to say to her friend.

Carefully, without tearing the envelope, Roxas opened it. He removed the letter inside and began to read.

_Hi, Selphie!_

_You know that guy, Roxas, I was talking about a couple of days ago? Well, it's all good. He apologized; I apologized…happily ever after, right? _

_Wrong._

_Rai was about to KILL Roxas because he thought he "was putting on a show." I mean, the guy has good intentions, but…I don't want Roxas to get hurt. _

_And then I tried to stop him, and Rai INSULTED ROXAS'S GIRLFRIEND. It was just like "Oh my God! JERK!!!" You know who I'm talking about—Naminé, Miss Princess. So Roxas punched him in the face and broke his nose. I started crying._

_It was horrible._

_And it was all my fault. _

_All I remember after that was one of my new friends, Kairi, leading me back home._

_Roxas came only a few minutes ago and he was so sweet. I felt so guilty. I apologized a hundred times and I started to cry again. Trust me; if you were there, Selph, you would be shaking your head. I was so pathetic._

_And Roxas held me (yes, HELD me) and apologized again, and said I'd been right, and nothing was my fault. Then he said he'd go back to Princess and talk to Hayner and Pence again._

_I'm both happy and miserable. I could really use your company right now, Selph. It's these times that I need my bubbly, best friend._

_Miss you lots,_

_Olette_

_P.S. Get my mom to send me her special peanut butter cookies. God, I miss those things._

Roxas stared at the note for a long time. _Princess?_Since was when was Naminé defined as "Princess"? And why was Olette miserable?

Quite frankly, Roxas didn't understand girls at all. Would Selphie understand this? Maybe Roxas could get Kairi to decode it.

Suddenly he remembered—Selphie was supposed to get this letter. He had to give it back before Flurin came back and thought he was a nosy parker, which he was, but he didn't want other people to think he was.

He quickly stuffed the letter back in the envelope and sealed it. Just then, Flurin came strolling back in. He looked at Roxas as if to say "you're still here?"

"Uh…you dropped this letter," Roxas said, handing it to him.

"Oh," Flurin remarked, looking at it. "Thank you."

Roxas gave a small nod before filing out of the post office, still thinking of the letter.

**222**

A couple of days later, Roxas removed the block of mail he'd gotten from his mailbox. He walked back into his apartment and collapsed on the couch.

"Junk, junk, junk…" he kept repeating, constantly throwing down ads on the coffee table. "Jun—huh?"

He stopped as he looked down at the envelope in his hand.

_Roxas Hera_

_204 King St._

_Twilight Town_

Could it be…? Roxas smiled and ripped open the envelope, excited to hear from his beloved again.

_Dear Roxas:_

_I didn't show this letter to Hayner and Pence. Don't worry. _

_I miss you so, so much, but I understand that you can't write to me much with all your work. University must be stressful. _

_It would be wonderful if you and your friends dropped in! I can't wait to meet Kairi and Olette! It would be really fun if I got to hang out with girls once in a while! Hayner and Pence are driving me insane! _

_Selphie sort of rings a bell, but I'm not sure. Did she used to go to Sunset High?_

_I laughed a little at your Hayner comment. It's good to hear that you're the same old Roxas. _

_I'm fine and so are your parents. Hayner and Pence haven't been up to much trouble lately—they really miss you._

_We all do. _

_I love you, Roxas, and I promise I'll wait for you to come back. _

_Naminé_

_What if I told you I loved someone else? _

**- d a y j u a n a: Thanks so much! It is funny…I think. Well, I don't know. Loved your new **_**Music and Lyrics**_** update, by the way! T'was awesome!**

**Rahi-1: Sorry. Not that you're a guy, but that I put in girl talk. For your benefit I made Roxas confused as well. Gee, thanks…I never tried to punch a clown before…but now that you think about it, their red nose **_**does**_**kind of resemble a target…Um…do you want me to put that line in there, or do you want me to put something in about Roxas's eyes? Or are we talking about Seifer? Oh, now I just made myself confused…I must be really stupid…Anyway, thanks for reviewing!**

**Bexmar: Yeah, I like Selphie too. He doesn't understand because he can't listen. If you don't listen you can't understand. It's a known, scientific fact…I think. Well, yeah, my friend moved schools and we still sort of keep in touch…I wonder what she's doing too. I bet Roxas wonders too, he's just hiding it because he's…secretive. Oh, I don't update THAT fast…I update usually because I'm bored and have an urge to write. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Zestychicken2: It's true. I wish I had a gossip girl. I don't unfortunately. So sad! (Wipes tear from eye) Yeah, well, Roxas is always considered "optimistic" so I decided to make him different, just like Sora's always considered "dumb" so I made him "smart" in my other story. Yeah, protector and princess…Hey! Wait a second! Isn't that Sora and Kai… (Cut off) Cough. I loved that part too. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!**

**Protector and princess…protector and princess…I'm starting to get suspicious that I ripped off Kingdom Hearts there. I mean **_**protector and princess**_**? Isn't that supposed to be…?**

**(Cut off)**

**I guess I shouldn't mention Sora and Kai (cut off) here, because this is a ROXETTE, strictly made for ROXAS AND OLETTE, so I will abide by that rule, and I will stop talking about Kairi and So (cut off) and THAT IS IT. **

**Read and review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (II), Roxas, Olette, Seifer, etc.**

**Author's Note: Okay, so this has a little Rikiri, a little Soriri, and the tiny, tiniest bit of Roxette. Sorry about that—my mind has been on Soriri lately, so...**

**Warning: More letters ahead.**

**Quick Author Babble: Yes, I know Sora and Roxas are total invaders of privacy, but what can you do?**

Chapter 4: The First Broken Promise

_Hi, my best buddy in all the world, Olette!_

_Oh my GOD!!! Are you SERIOUS??? You caused a FIGHT??? Roxas broke Rai's NOSE??? Whoa, temper, temper. I don't know if you should be friends with this guy, Olette. What if he does that to you when you "accidentally" insult Naminé? _

_Wait a second. I didn't read this second part..._

_OH MY GOD!!! HELD you? Like, HELD you? Ollie, you little rascal! Sounds like Roxas has his eye on you._

_Ooh...Ollie's in LOVE! Oh, I knew this day would come. You're all grown up! I think I might even miss the old, tomboy Olette. _

_Of course, I WOULD be able to do your nails, and we could do each other's hair, and...Sorry, getting off topic. _

_Well, Ollie, if Roxas is going back to Naminé, my advice is...STOP HIM!!! Duh. Don't tell me I lost the smart Olette too!_

_Your bubbly best friend,_

_Selphie_

Olette nearly rammed her head into the table as she read Selphie's letter.

"_I don't like him!_" she shouted to no one in particular. "Talk about overreacting..."

Of course, stopping Roxas _was_ tempting. But it was wrong. Olette was the one who told Roxas to go back to Naminé. She couldn't just randomly come out of the blue and tell him to never talk to Naminé again!

With a sigh, Olette collapsed in her chair, took out a pen and a blank piece of paper, and started to write.

_Listen, Selphie:_

_We've gotta get a few things straight. I DO NOT LIKE ROXAS, okay? And he doesn't like me either. So get off this stupid idea of yours and concentrate on the actual problem._

_Naminé. Naminé is the problem. _

_Somehow I despise her with all my might. I mean, with a last name that means "princess", how trustworthy can you be? _

_I know, Selph, I know. But I'm NOT jealous, okay? I'm just a little concerned about Roxas taking my advice and realizing that no one actually DOES care about what happened to him. It would be a huge letdown, and it would be all my fault._

_So I would like you to do the following things:_

_a) STOP THINKING I LIKE HIM._

_b) Give me some ACTUAL advice._

_Write to you later,_

_Olette_

Satisfied with her letter, Olette folded it up, placed it in an envelope, and exited her apartment.

**222**

Olette hummed a happy little tune as she skipped to the post office, letter in hand. The streets were busy as usual, the honking disturbing the misty morning. People crowded the sidewalk, pushing by Olette in a rush to get to work.

"Olette, wait up!"

Olette turned to see Kairi racing down the street, an envelope also entwined in her fingers. Olette looked down at it.

"Are you going to the post office too?" she asked.

"Yeah, I am!" Kairi chirped happily. "I'm sending it to Riku. He's in Destiny Islands right now. Sora's still jealous and mad at me about making him come to TU, so he refused to write a letter. Honestly, sometimes he can be so stubborn..."

Kairi's smile faltered as she looked down at the letter.

"Sometimes I wonder..." she murmured, "if I'll ever see Riku again."

"Of course you will!" Olette cried. "Stop doubting him! If Riku was truly your friend, he'll visit."

"But..._Destiny Islands_," Kairi said, looking at her. "He's so far away..."

"Distance can't separate friendship," Olette remarked matter-of-factly. "You're starting to sound like Roxas, so cheer up, put a smile on your face, and remember you still have friends!"

Kairi giggled.

"Are you always this optimistic?"

"What's the point of being negative?"

Olette looked at her letter Selphie.

"I mean, look at me," she said. "Selphie is a two hour train ride away, and we're still communicating, because that's what friends do. We made a promise when we were five that no matter what we'd be best friends forever, unlike those other phonies who say their BFFs and stop being friends the next day."

Kairi giggled.

"Yeah, Sora and I did the same thing around that age too. But...that's what worries me."

Olette looked at her questioningly.

"Sora and I made a promise we'd be friends forever, and we still are, and that's great," Kairi said, looking down at her letter. "But Riku never did."

Olette looked down.

"Oh."

"So that's why I'm worried, Olette," Kairi continued. "Riku's so far away, there's no promise to back anything up—it's like me and Sora never existed."

"Now_that's_not true," Olette said, snapping back up. "You exist and Riku will never forget you. You know why?"

Kairi shook her head. Olette pushed her a little.

"Because you're his _friend_, stupid!" she remarked. "You'll be a little piece of him, no matter what."

"I guess..." Kairi murmured.

"Now cheer up and give me a smile," Olette said, starting to skip again.

Kairi gave the tiniest smile. Olette frowned and tugged at the sides of her mouth, making her smile much bigger.

"There, that's much better!" Olette chirped.

Kairi whacked her hands away.

"Olette!"

"What? I'm just saying you look better when you smile. Everyone does. So don't be sad...be happy!"

Kairi shook her head.

"I_can't_. I'm too worried about Riku."

"Aw, come on! Riku's a big boy now! He can take care of himself! Besides, he'd want you to smile when you think of him, not sulk. So, for God's sake, _smile_!"

"But what if I never see him again?"

"You_will_. I promise you will."

Olette smiled at her downcast friend.

"See?" she said. "Now Riku _does_have a promise to back up your friendship! Mine!"

Kairi smiled.

"I guess you're right."

"See how better it feels to smile instead of frown?"

Kairi nodded. Olette grinned and threw open the door to the post office. She skipped in.

"Hi, Flurin!" she called out into the building.

Flurin immediately popped out of the back room.

"Oh, hello, Olette," he greeted with a smile.

Olette had grown to know most of the people in the city. She'd even become friends with Cocoa, the woman he ran the coffee shop near the university grounds.

"Here to deliver your letter?" Flurin asked, blue eyes gleaming through his rectangular glasses.

"Of course!" Olette chirped, then turned to Kairi. "I come here often."

She handed her letter to Flurin. Kairi handed hers too. Flurin looked down at the address printed on the envelope.

"_Destiny Islands?_" he repeated, eyes widening. "A long distance delivery, I see. It might take a week or so for the letter to arrive at your destination, madam."

"Oh."

Kairi looked down at the floor.

"It's okay," she said. "It's not that important anyway..."

Her violet eyes were filling with tears. Olette looked at her and felt very sympathetic for her.

"There's nothing you can do?" Olette asked, turning to look at Flurin again.

"No," Flurin said, shaking his head. "I'm terribly sorry."

Olette frowned, a damper in her sunny mood.

"It's okay, Olette," Kairi remarked, putting her hand on her shoulder. "As long as it gets there...Riku doesn't have very good penmanship anyway."

But even through her comforting words, tears were streaking down Kairi's face.

"No, actually, there's no need to deliver it," she said, wiping away the tears. "I'm never going to see him again anyway..."

"Kairi..." Olette remarked, turning to look at her.

But Kairi had already turned and run out of the post office. Flurin was looking after her, a rather concerned look on his face.

"Is she okay?" he asked.

"I...I don't really know," Olette said.

"What should I do with her letter if it's not going to be delivered?" Flurin asked, looking at the envelope locked in his hand.

"Oh, it's going to be delivered!" Olette remarked, a new sort of determination running through her.

She took the letter and ran outside, even though Kairi had long since disappeared down the sidewalk.

**222**

Olette ran up to apartment 48 and hammered on the door. She wasn't going to rest until Kairi came to her senses.

"Sora!" she yelled. "Sora, are you in there?"

"Go away!" Sora's voice yelled from inside. "I'm studying and having problems! What the heck is the English and German version of a billion? Er...Well, the American and French version has a thousand millions...Wait, what am I doing? When the heck am I going to use this?"

"Sora!" Olette shouted, banging on the door again.

"Not listening!" Sora yelled back. "It must be a million millions...What else could you put?"

"Sora, enough with the math lesson! Kairi needs your help!"

There was silence for a couple of moments, and then the door opened a bit, showing one of Sora's cerulean eyes.

"Kairi needs my help?" he asked.

"Yes," Olette said impatiently. "Look."

She held out the letter Kairi had made to send to Riku. Sora opened the door fully and took the envelope.

"It's a letter to Riku," he remarked. "Yeah, Kairi told me she'd write one last night. So?"

"_So_...she thinks she's never going to see Riku again!" Olette cried. "She keeps saying he's so far away and that he's probably forgotten her and when the post office man, Flurin, said it wouldn't probably arrive until after a week or so, she just ran out, saying she was never going to see him again anyway."

Sora's eyes remained locked on the envelope.

"I wonder what she wrote..." he murmured.

"Sora!" Olette cried, putting her hands on her sides. "You can't read that letter! It's from Kairi to Riku! It's a heart-to-heart conversation!"

"Now I'm definitely going to read it," Sora said, turning around and sitting down in his swivel chair, where many textbooks, papers, and a computer was thrown all over.

"_Sora!_" Olette cried. "You can't..."

But Sora had already torn open the envelope.

"Dear Riku," he began, dodging Olette's desperate grabs at the letter, "It's been fun at Twilight University, even though it's a lot of work. Sora's been doing everything to dodge work. Sometimes he can be so lazy. Hey!"

Sora frowned and Olette giggled.

"Sora is a great friend and I love his company..." Sora continued. "There, that's better...But I miss you a lot. I'm sure Sora does too...inwardly. I have two new friends, Roxas and Olette, and they got into a horrible argument."

Sora paused to laugh.

"Personally, I think they like each other," he read.

"_What?!_" Olette cried. "You made that up!"

"Did not," Sora said, crossing his arms.

"Let me see that!" Olette shouted.

She reached for it and this time Sora was too slow. She snatched it out of his hands and looked down at it. Indeed, there was the sentence, and Olette couldn't help but nervously think it was noticeable. All she could do was keep reading the letter and pretend that she didn't care at all.

"They made up in the end, of course, as they are both reasonable people," Olette read. "But...the thing that's been bugging me...is that will I ever see you again? You're so far away, and I'm in university. Soon we'll barely know who each other is!"

Olette notice Sora noticeably frown.

"I made Sora come here because I didn't want to be alone," Olette continued, looking at the letter, intrigued. "I want him to have a good future too, but if I lost both of you...well..."

Sora leaped from his chair.

"Well what?" he asked.

"Well," Olette said. "That's all it says. Then it goes to the bottom of the page to 'sincerely, Kairi.'"

Sora snatched the letter from her.

"I can't believe this! She can't leave me hanging on the line like this! What would happen if I wasn't here?!"

"Okay, first of all, that letter wasn't meant for you, it was meant for Riku. And second, why do you care?"

"Because I'm a caring person," Sora said through gritted teeth.

Olette sighed.

"Well, whatever. Do you have an envelope?"

"Yeah," Sora said, reaching over and picking up a blank envelope and handing it to her.

Olette quickly copied the address, placed the letter inside and her and Sora raced out of the apartment.

**222**

Olette watched Sora and Kairi through the window of Cocoa's Coffee Shop. She stood outside in the rather cold, autumn air and watched as Kairi started to cry. Sora put an arm around her and let her cry into his shoulder.

"Hey, if you want to have coffee, you have to go inside."

Olette turned at the familiar voice. Roxas was just walking up from the university grounds.

"I_know_," she snapped. "I'm just making sure something gets done."

"By watching people drink coffee?" Roxas asked, a look of confusion coming over his face.

"No!" Olette shouted irritably. "Look!"

She pushed Roxas forward. He watched for awhile before saying something again.

"Oh."

He turned to Olette again.

"So you're stalking Kairi and Sora."

"Oh, shut up, will you?"

Olette watched Sora comfort Kairi and smiled.

"They're so cute together, don't you think?" she chirped.

"Hmm..." Roxas muttered thoughtfully. "I guess."

Olette watched Kairi look up at Sora, tears dried.

"Olette?"

Olette looked up at the blond boy.

"What?"

"Okay, this may sound weird, but..." Roxas scratched the back of his head. "I have this feeling that you have a problem with me and Naminé. It's just...I'm losing sleep over it and my professors are getting mad at me for not paying attention in class."

Olette smiled nervously.

"Problem? Why would I have a problem? Don't be silly, Roxas."

Roxas looked at her.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I promise there's no problem here!" Olette chirped.

_Promise..._Olette repeated in her head. _Would this be the first promise I've broken?_

She turned and watched Sora smile and hand Kairi the letter.

_I promise you'll see Riku again, Kairi, _Olette thought. _And Roxas..._

She looked up at the boy's thoughtful face.

_Please believe my little white lie._

_What if I lied to you when I promised not to? _

**- d a y j u a n a: You like Roxiné too? Yeah, you threaten Roxas, you get the heat. It's just the way it goes. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Bexmar: Yeah, same goes for me. Well, Naminé isn't **_**so**_** bad. Because Roxiné has got it GOING ON!!! Okay, well, no, but still. Roxette isn't happening anytime soon. Okay, thanks for reviewing!**

**Keyblade Master of Promise: Okay, I promise I'll leave Soriri in here. And if you like Soriri so much, why are you reading a Roxette? It's just a question, not meant to be critical. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Zestychicken2: Yeah, but Kingdom Hearts is a pretty...**_**open-minded**_** series. How do you think they get so many crack couples? Also, these are rated E (or at least E + 10), and I doubt they'll kiss. So there's no actual great possibility that they'll kiss...unfortunately. They're my favorite couple though. Aerith likes Cloud and Leon likes Rinoa, don't they? I'm just wondering. Yeah, SHOW SOME RESPECT!!! Okay, so, thanks for reviewing!**

**Rahi-1: Yeah, I didn't get the whole Roxas - Sora thing. I mean, Sora's so smiley and talkative and Roxas is so sulky and quiet. If they're supposed to be alike...WHY AREN'T THEY ALIKE??? I'm just saying. Sure, he did. I think Nobodies just share hearts with their original form. (Well, the ones who still have their original forms.) So Roxas**_**does**_** kind of have a heart, it's just Sora's, which I think is better than no heart at all, personally. Reminder: Don't use "oh, and" so much in this review. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Okay, well, I'm tired, and I'm going to stop writing, and sometime this week I'll probably write more for my other story, but that won't be for awhile because I have a history project due in two days, math homework corrections, and a math test. So...enjoy it while you can!**

**Read and review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (II), Roxas, Olette, Seifer, etc.**

**Author's Note: Okay, the little message that you see at the bottom saying "What if…" is totally new because it occurred to me that my name has no meaning so far in this story. If you look at the other chapters I have included "what if" lines (their newly dubbed name) at the bottom as well, to sum this one up, so…don't be confused. Sorry about that, folks.**

**Warning: Blabbermouths sometimes are considered warnings, even though they DO have their purposes.**

**Quick Author Babble: EVERYONE BE A BLABBERMOUTH TODAY!!! **

Chapter 5: Blabbermouths Have Their Purposes

Roxas smiled at the golden sun rising over the small, humble buildings, eyes sparkling.

"I can't believe I'm back here," he said. "It's been months…"

"It feels like years," Olette corrected, stepping out of the train behind him.

"So these are the outskirts?" Sora asked, peeking out of the train and out the glass doors.

Christmas holidays had saved Roxas from sinking into a pit of despair. He and Olette decided they wanted to go back home for the holidays, and Christmas break had allowed them to do so, even though they had a load of work to do during their "vacation" time. Sora and Kairi wanted to see the outskirts of Twilight Town because they never had before, so they came along.

"Wow," Kairi said, her voice barely higher than a whisper. "It's so serene! Where we lived, the holidays were a time of complete madness."

"No kidding," Sora remarked. "I've still got the bruises from all the people running into me while doing their Christmas shopping."

"Well, it's different here," Olette said.

She picked up her travel bag and opened the glass doors. Everyone else followed her. They walked through the frost until Olette suddenly stopped as they came to a crossroad.

"What is it?" Roxas asked.

"Well, Selphie lives down this road," Olette said, pointing to the left road. "But I guess you want to see your friends first, huh?"

Her emerald eyes lowered a little.

"Well…" Roxas stuttered, and then shook his head. "No, it's alright. We can see my friends later."

The truth was he was aching to see Naminé, but he couldn't stand seeing Olette so sad. Olette looked up, her happily smile once again printed on her face.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

She said it so fast that the words all smashed together. She skipped down the road in joy. Roxas walked after her, his mind still on the pale, blond girl he'd known since he was four. Sora came up from behind him, shaking his head.

"You pathetic little suck-up," he said. "I've never seen anyone more homesick than you, and one downcast look from Olette and you melt like butter."

"Oh, like you're much better with Kairi," Roxas snapped back defensively. "'Oh no, not the look…You always get me with that look…I'm a weak idiot…'"

"Hey, not nice," Sora said before walking past him.

"Yeah, and you're a perfect little angel, right, Sora?" Roxas called after him.

"Not listening!" Sora yelled.

Roxas broke into a run to catch up with him. Sora noticed this and started to sprint down the road. They raced past Kairi and Olette.

"Mature, guys!" Kairi shouted sarcastically. "Really mature!"

"At least we know they haven't changed," Olette giggled.

"Yeah, at least," Kairi sighed, rolling her eyes.

After a lot of arguments between Sora and Roxas, a couple of complaints from Kairi, and quite a lot of laughs from Olette, the four finally ended up at Selphie's house.

"Oh, we're here!" Olette chirped. "I _knew_ I'd come back! I just knew I would!"

Roxas smiled a little. She was so excited, almost like a child on its birthday.

Olette breathed out and skipped up the stone steps to the front door. Then, with another excited smile towards her friends, she rang the doorbell.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," a muffled voice grumbled from behind the door.

The doorknob started to wiggle.

"Who'd come this early in the morn…?"

The ginger-haired girl stopped before she could finish her sentence as the door swung open to reveal Olette.

"_Ollie!_" Selphie squealed, probably waking up half the neighborhood.

She quickly locked the dark-haired girl into a suffocating hug, knocking all the air out of Olette.

"Come on, Selph, I can't breathe!" Olette gasped.

"Oh, sorry, Ollie!" chirped Selphie, pulling away. "I just can't believe you're here! You didn't even tell me!"

"Well, I kind of wanted it to be a surprise," Olette said. "I also brought a few friends. This is Kairi."

She moved aside to reveal the redhead girl, who smiled and waved.

"Hi!" Selphie said.

"Hi," Kairi replied.

"And this is Sora," Olette continued, gesturing to the brunet boy.

"Hi," Sora said.

Selphie squinted at Kairi and Sora.

"Are you two dating?" she asked without reluctance.

"What?" Sora said, shaking his head frantically. "No, no, no…just friends, is all."

"Huh," Selphie remarked, crossing her arms. "Wouldn't have guessed by how cute you look together."

Both Sora and Kairi turned a very deep shade of red. Olette nudged her best friend.

"Selph!" she snapped. "Shut up!"

"What?" Selphie said. "I'm just stating my opinions."

"Well, you can state your opinions to your bedroom wall later!" Olette hissed. "Sora and Kairi are very touch about…"

"Oh, and who's this?" Selphie asked, cutting Olette off, looking at the blond boy who was barely in view behind Sora and Kairi.

It took Roxas a moment to realize she was talking about him, and he walked forward and held out his hand for a handshake.

"I'm Roxas," he said. "Nice to meet you."

Selphie didn't return the handshake, however. Instead she leaned in very close to look him right in the eye. Roxas took a small, alarmed step back.

"So _you're_ the infamous Roxas!" Selphie cried, standing up straight again, much to Roxas's relief.

She turned to face Olette.

"Ooh, Ollie, you were right!" she chirped. "He _is_ cute!"

Olette put a hand over her mouth, looking terrified. Sora let out a snort of laughter, causing Kairi to hit him on the arm.

"So who's your girlfriend?" Selphie said, suddenly sounding a bit defensive. "Miss Princess is perfect, I presume? Probably with the long, golden hair girls have in fairytales."

"Selphie!" shouted Olette.

"Let me guess," Selphie remarked, rather obviously ignoring Olette. "She was lead cheerleader in high school, and you thought you had no chance to go on a date with her, but on one magical day you built up the guts and…"

"Selphie, we need to talk…_privately_," Olette growled.

"How do you even know she still likes you anymore?" Selphie continued, when Olette grabbed one of her light brown locks of hair and started tugging her inside the house. "Ow, ow, ow! Stop it! I want to talk to Roxas!"

"I think you've talked to Roxas enough for one day," Olette snapped, and she slammed the door behind them.

Sora, Kairi, and Roxas stood there for a long moment, Roxas probably the most stunned of all. Roxas knew Olette had written about him and Naminé, but not so much that Selphie could say all _that_. And when had Olette said he was cute?

"Wow," Sora said after a few moments of silence. "I understand girls less than I thought."

_Whack!_

"Ow!"

Sora winced in pain as Kairi hit him very hard on the shoulder.

"You guys just don't understand because you're too simpleminded," Kairi remarked, glaring at Sora as he rubbed his shoulder. "There's nothing to understand about _you_ because all you do is lie around like pigs."

"What?!" yelled Sora. "That is not true! And besides, like you girls are much better! Buying jewelry and wasting the value of the Earth! Shopping just to throw things in the corner to rot! Putting on makeup to make 'your faces look pretty'!"

"You're so chauvinistic!" Kairi yelled.

"Like you're much better!" continued Sora. "If you were smart like you said all girls were then you would realize that!"

Roxas looked at the two of them as they continued to fight.

"Uh…" Roxas said, looking from one to the other. "Yeah, I think I'll go check on Olette…"

"And what's more, you think you guys can rule the world!" Kairi continued.

"Er…I'll take that as a 'yes, it's okay to go, Roxas, we'll be here when you get back,'" Roxas said, turning around and walking into the house, which Olette had conveniently left open.

He looked around the small house. It was much lived in—things were thrown all over the place, the railings were worn from overuse, and snowy footprints were all over the floor. Roxas nearly broke his neck as he nearly tripped over a skateboard lying on the ground. He noticed there was also lots of other sports gear lying around. There was a hockey stick that had the name "Percival" on it. So Selphie had a younger brother—maybe more.

Roxas heard voices—familiar voices. They were coming from the living room. He silently crept over to the room.

"Don't worry, Ollie, it's not like I'm going to steal him!" Selphie said, causing Roxas to automatically press against the wall and listen. "Besides, I've already got my eye on Tidus. You know Tidus! The captain of the blitzball team…"

"Listen, Selph, I don't _care_," Olette snapped. "I'm not worried about you 'stealing Roxas'. But I _am_ worried about his feelings. If he found out what I really think about Naminé…especially after I made that big deal about him going back and talking to her…"

There was a short pause.

"Just don't talk about her like that anymore, okay, Selph?"

"Got it, Ollie!" chirped Selphie. "Your wish is my command!"

"Oh, and while you're at it…"

Selphie blinked at Olette's thoughtful face.

"Stop talking about what you think about Sora and Kairi being together, okay?"

**222**

Roxas walked back outside into the crisp, winter air. Luckily, he was greeted by silence—Sora and Kairi had stopped fighting. Now they were just sitting on either side of the staircase, refusing to look at each other.

"So how's she doing?" Sora asked, looking up at Roxas.

"Olette?" replied Roxas. "Well…she's fine, I guess."

Sora's blue eyes sparkled.

"You just eavesdropped on them, didn't you?" he said.

Roxas paused.

"Yeah," he said, sitting down.

"I thought so. So what'd you hear?"

"Well…you know—a bit of this, a bit of that," Roxas stated.

"No, I don't know. More details please."

"Girl talk. You wouldn't be interested."

"Oh."

Sora lied down against one of the pillars holding up the small roof overhead and closed his eyes, seemingly losing interest. The truth was, everything he heard was eating Roxas up inside. Olette didn't like Naminé already? But how? But _why_?

"Hey…are you okay?" Kairi asked.

"Huh?" Roxas said, looking up. "Oh, yeah…I'm fine."

Olette and Selphie came back out of the house, Selphie still looking at Roxas with a certain amount of arrogance, Olette looking about apologetically.

"Sorry, you guys," she apologized. "I was just…showing Selphie some pictures I took downtown."

_Liar, _Roxas couldn't help thinking, even though he couldn't exactly blame Olette for not telling them about what they were actually talking about.

"Well, let's go!" Olette chirped. "Roxas, you lead the way!"

_Not to Naminé's,_ Roxas decided, thinking about what he'd heard.

"Let's go see my parents," he suggested, and started off down the road.

**222**

"Delicious supper, Mrs. Hera!" chirped Selphie cheerfully.

"Yes, thank you so much!" Kairi agreed.

"Oh, it was no problem," Mrs. Hera remarked. "As soon as I saw my baby at the door I couldn't help but cook a feast! Of course, he's not my baby anymore….He's so grown up…."

"_Mom!_" whined Roxas, stopping his mother from going sappy again. "Uh…May I be excused?"

Sure, with Roxas gone, Mrs. Hera might tell even more embarrassing things to his friends, but at least he wouldn't be there to listen to them.

"May I also?" Olette asked politely.

"Of course, dear," Mrs. Hera said, smiling at the brunette. "As for you, Roxas, I wanted you to be here for that story from when you were seven—you know, the time where we went to the zoo and you went up to the monkey cage…"

"Bye!" Roxas said quickly, hopping out of his chair.

He and Olette walked out of the kitchen.

"Come on," Roxas whispered to her. "Follow me."

Roxas and Olette walked upstairs. Roxas walked into his room, which had nothing in it anymore. He'd taken all of his belongings to TU and his parents had taken out the heavy furniture and moved it downstairs.

"This used to be my room," Roxas said. "Trust me; it wasn't this clean before I moved out."

"I certainly hope so!" Olette giggled. "There's no furniture at all!"

"Come on," Roxas said, pushing her forward. "Gaping at the emptiness isn't why I took you here."

He walked over to the window and twisted the handle and pushed it open. He swung his leg out the windowsill.

"Uh…Roxas?" said Olette uncertainly.

"See you on the other side!" Roxas called, and leaped out.

"Roxas!"

Olette raced over to the window, looking absolutely horrorstricken. She peered outside and saw Roxas sitting on the rooftop, laughing at Olette's terror.

"Roxas!" yelled Olette, stomping her foot. "You nearly scared me to death! I thought you were committing suicide!"

"I know," Roxas laughed. "Just come on out."

Olette frowned at him, but then gingerly climbed out the window. After a few moments of not knowing whether to move and trust Roxas or not, she walked over to him and sat beside him.

The sun was setting, and even through the snow its colours were vibrant—splashes of red, orange, and yellow were all over the place.

"Wow," Olette whispered. "My favorite colours…This place always _did_ have the nicest sunsets…"

"They don't call this Twilight Town for nothing," Roxas stated.

Olette giggled—a very melodic sound.

"I guess not."

_What if the sunset was always like this, just you and me? _

**"""**

**Zestychicken2: Yeah, I get what you're saying…Of course, I do like Cloith a lot more than Cloifa, or whatever people call it. And I've never actually met Rinoa in Final Fantasy and I really want to know who Leon's girlfriend is and it's like AAHH!!! Well, anyway, thanks! I'm glad you liked the notes and stuff. Dramatic and tragic? Well, there's going to be a lot of that next chapter (hint, hint) so I'm just building up right now. Okay, well, thanks for reviewing!**

**- d a y j u a n a: Yeah, I like it kind of. Not as much as Roxette, but still. I'm planning to start writing a Roxiné by around the beginning of November. (Hopefully I'll be finished my Soriri by then, but I doubt it.) Thanks a lot for reviewing!**

**Rahi-1: I've never believed that Nobody thing. I mean, I know Ansem the Wise is…well…**_**wise**_**, but he's never been very smart when it came to hearts. It's not so much that Roxas doesn't have a heart; it's just that he's sharing one. Still, I'll miss poor Ansem. I can't help thinking that he died such a horrible death. Yeah, maybe someday, but not for awhile. Yeah, what you said basically sums it up. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Bexmar: Selphie ROCKS!!! Okay, you can't tell in Kingdom Hearts, but she does. I think she's in Final Fantasy VIII (the lucky girl is sharing the same game with SQUALL LEONHART). Anyway, well, I guess Kairi's a bit depressed, like Roxas. People like Sora and Olette fix things like that, and that's why we have them around. If we didn't, this would be a pretty depressing story. I don't know where I came up with Flurin. I wasn't thinking much about Kingdom Hearts characters at the time—in fact, I pictured Cedric (human form) from W.i.t.c.h. But, sure, you can imagine him as Axel—I don't mind. As long as you like him, it's okay. Yeah, well, technically Roxas isn't that good of a friend to her, if you ask me. Not personality-wise, it's just that she hasn't known him for awhile. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Chainxofxmemories: I will! I love Soriri! It's awesome! They ARE nosy! Thanks for reviewing!**

**Keyblade Master of Promise: Thanks a lot! Yeah, there are a lot of Namixas fans, but as long as you like what you write, it doesn't matter. I'm glad you like my Roxette! You didn't give the wrong impression at all! I was just wondering. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Well, **_**what if**_** the next chapter won't come for at least four more days or probably more? **_**What if**_** I'm already completely out of ideas? **_**What if**_** I'm very tired?**

**Good thing all of those things aren't true.**

**Read and review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (II), Roxas, Olette, Seifer, etc.**

**Author's Note: Sorry this is so late. Stupid computer kept deleting my file! However, it is here now, so let's just…move on. **

**Warning: Betrayal ahead.**

**Quick Author Babble: DUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNN…It's the way of life…DUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNN…This is so retarded…DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNN…**

Chapter 6: Wrong Doings

Olette and Selphie skipped down the road, both very happy since Olette had come back to her rightful home—the outskirts. Nothing had managed to bring down Olette's mood—_nothing_. Her smile was unbroken so far and she wished that she never had to go back to university, never had to work again, no matter how important it was.

"Ooh, Ollie, you've _got_ to try on that green tee!" Selphie cried, suddenly rushing over to the window of a store. "It would totally bring out your eyes!"

"Selphie, how many times do I have to tell you?" Olette said, her smile widening as she laughed at her friend's excitement. "We're not window shopping! We're going to see Naminé."

Selphie scowled.

"Every time you say her name it sounds worse and worse," she muttered.

Olette's smile faltered only for a split second.

"I'm sure she's perfectly nice," she said.

"Ugh!" Selphie muttered, making a face. "Don't say _perfect_! It makes her sound like she's Princess Perfect or something!"

"Now, Selphie, you've never actually met her…" Olette remarked.

"Why are you being so calm and nice about this whole thing?!" shouted Selphie, causing lots of people to look at them. "Naminé's stealing Roxas away from you, like a vampire with blood!"

She stuck out her teeth and made her hands look like claws. Olette sighed.

"I don't know how many times we've gone over this, Selph," she stated. "Roxas isn't _mine_ and he's only a friend. And I'm sure if he likes Naminé, she is a lovely person. Now hurry up. I don't want to be late."

Selphie, though still sulking, quickened her steps as they continued to Naminé's house.

**&&&**

The house was sunny and bright, splotches of sunshine coming through the forest behind and onto the white house below. Olette skipped over to the garden and looked at the flowers with a high-spirited giggle.

"It's so pretty here…" she said.

Selphie, however, did not seem pleased at all.

"Only the best for Her Majesty," she muttered.

Olette only laughed some more. No, not even Selphie's sour mood and the constant mention of Naminé was going to bring her down—not today, at least. She was home. She was happy.

"C'mon, Selph," she said, nudging her best friend. "Cheer up. We're only here for the day."

Selphie continued to frown. Olette sighed and pulled Selphie over to the door. Taking in a deep breath, she tried to neaten her tangled, brown hair and rang the doorbell. It only took a few seconds before someone answered the door.

The girl standing before Olette was beautiful. She had long, golden hair spilling down her shoulders, pushed just so to frame one side of her face. Her pale blue eyes were big and innocent. Her skin was pale. It reminded Olette of pearls. She was thin, but not so thin that she looked anorexic. She was perfect, you could almost say.

"Um…hello," Olette said. "I'm Olette Boone."

"I'm Naminé Panchali," the girl replied. "It's nice to meet you."

Olette had not been expecting this. Not only was the girl before her prettier than she thought she would be, but the smile on her rosy lips was genuine.

"Humph," Selphie muttered.

Olette elbowed her in the ribs.

"Ugh!" Selphie immediately straightened up and held out her hand. "Hi! I'm Selphie Tilmitt!"

"Hello," Naminé said, smiling softly.

Suddenly a form appeared behind her.

"Who is it?" Roxas asked, face appearing over Naminé's head.

"Roxas, I thought you were playing cards with Hayner and Pence," Naminé said.

"I was, but then I got curious," Roxas remarked, smiling at Olette and Selphie. "Hey, Olette, Selphie. So this is Naminé…"

He gently kissed her on the neck. Naminé giggled.

"Roxas!" she cried, pushing him away.

"Ugh," Selphie said, making a face.

Olette grimaced. Her fists clenched. Why was she feeling so…_angry_?

"I'm sorry about Roxas's behavior," Naminé apologized, pushing Roxas inside. "Shoo, Roxas! Go!"

"Not nice, Nam!" shouted Roxas.

Selphie sighed and shook her head.

"I'm sorry for making you wait out here," Naminé said. "Come on in."

Olette and Selphie walked inside the house, the chilly winter air leaving them. Olette gasped as she looked around the house. It was covered in smooth, dark wood. The walls were painted lovely lavender and everything was elaborately carved. Olette had never seen anything like it.

She took slow steps into the house, looking all around at its magnificence. Suddenly Roxas grabbed her arm.

"Careful!" he warned.

Olette looked up. She'd nearly walked into a glass sculpture—it was in the shape of a dolphin, and she had to admit it was very impressive.

"We don't want you to get hurt, Olette," Naminé said. "Once I fell into one of those…I was so cut up I had to go to the hospital. Trust me; you do _not_ want to go there."

Olette nodded.

"Well, I'm going to go finish a game of cards…" Roxas began, when suddenly the doorbell rang again.

Naminé walked over to the door and opened it to reveal Sora and Kairi. They both smiled at everyone in the foyer.

"Hi, guys!" Kairi chirped, and her gaze fell on Naminé. "Oh, you must be…"

"Naminé Panchali," Naminé finished for her. "And you must be…"

"Kairi May," Kairi chirped. "That's right! And this is Sora Ivo…"

She pushed him forward to shake Naminé's hand. Naminé looked at them, much in the same way that Selphie did.

"Are you two…?" Naminé began.

"No," Kairi finished, as if reading her mind. "We're not dating."

Olette giggled at Sora's very red face. Selphie also seemed very happy at this comment.

"See?" she called. "I told you that you two look cute together!"

"Selph, zip it!" Olette warned, though she was laughing as she said it.

"What is _taking_you so long?"

Two boys entered the foyer as well, and even though it was a big house, it was getting kind of cramped. One of the boys had spiky, light blond hair. He was rather tall and had an ignorant look about him. The second was rather short and chubby with very messy brown hair.

"Guys…this is Hayner and Pence," Roxas said, gesturing to them. "They're my best friends."

"And I'm the smarter of the bunch, that's for sure," Hayner said proudly.

"That's strange, because our grades say otherwise," Roxas remarked, causing Hayner to push him teasingly.

"Well, since we're all here, let's have lunch!" Pence stated.

"Yeah," Roxas agreed. "I'm starving!"

Hayner crossed his arms and looked at them.

"You're just saying that because I'm totally being you guys in cards," he said.

"Yeah right!" shouted Roxas. "You're last and you know it!"

"Naminé, you're dating a liar!" Hayner shouted.

Naminé just laughed.

**&&&**

The sun was setting by the time everyone had finished dinner. The plates were nearly clean, everyone had been so hungry. Olette looked subconsciously around at everybody. Pence was making some nice conversation with Kairi, Roxas was cuddling Naminé (this caused Olette to frown, but just for a second), Sora was nearly dying with laughter as Hayner kept flicking peas at Roxas and the blond boy was totally clueless, and Selphie just overlooked everyone with a pleasant smile on her face.

After flinging one more pea through the air at Roxas, Hayner stood up.

"Well, I'm going to be late for football practice," he said. "I really don't want to go…but…you know…duty calls."

"Bye, Hayner!" everyone chorused, except for Sora, who had literally fallen off his chair from laughing so hard.

Olette swore she saw Hayner nod at Naminé, but the next second he was gone.

"Hmm…must've been my imagination," Olette murmured under her breath.

She was still curious, however, and in the pit of her stomach she felt differently, like she truly had seen Hayner nod at Naminé. A goodbye nod, perhaps?

"Um…" Naminé said, suddenly pulling away from Roxas. "I'm going to go wash up."

As Naminé stood up, Olette suddenly thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to leave the table—it had been a stressful day, and though she loved being with Selphie and meeting all of Roxas's friends, she needed to get away from them.

As Naminé left the room, Olette stood up as well.

"I'm going to go watch the sunset," she remarked. "It's time already, and I need a little fresh air."

"Okay," said Roxas, looking up at her.

"You and your sunsets, Ollie," Selphie sighed, crossing her arms. "You'll miss out on all the fun!"

Olette just smiled at her best friend and turned to leave the kitchen. Just as she put a foot out of the room, Roxas's voice echoed throughout the house.

"Hey! How'd all these peas get on me?!"

**&&&**

Olette walked out onto the porch. Oh, what a beautiful sunset! Was it just her, or were the colours even more vibrant than the last time she'd watched the sun go down?

Olette walked farther until she hit the railing. She ran her fingers along the soft, painted wood. Even though the cold air stung her skin, she barely minded. When suddenly, she saw something peculiar out of the corner of her eye.

She turned and saw Hayner and Naminé, sitting on the bench (decorated florally, like everything else in the house), faces mashed together, eyes closed. Perhaps it was just from shock—maybe from disgust—but whatever reason, Olette let out a scream. So of course, the two looked up.

Olette took a few steps back at the two gazes upon her until her back hit the railing behind her.

"_What are you two doing?_"

She whispered it, but the words came out perfectly clear. Naminé looked terrified, Hayner a bit angry.

"What are _you_ doing, spying on us?" Hayner asked.

"I wasn't spying on you!" Olette snapped. "I came out to see the sunset, for your information! How could I spy on you when the two of you came up with such beautifully crafted lies?"

Hayner gulped. Naminé put a hand over her mouth.

"Ugh…it's disgusting…wrong…horrible!" Olette continued. "Some girlfriend and best friend _you_ turned out to be! What's Roxas going to say when I tell him what happened?!"

Naminé's eyes seemed to flash "ALERT" at that last sentence. She leaped up, horrified.

"No, no, you can't tell him!" she said, shaking her head fervently. "It'll break his heart, and I truly _do_ care for him, really!"

Olette snorted.

"Yeah, you care for him so much that you made out with his best friend!" she snapped. "How long has this been going on?"

"Well…since Roxas went off to university…" Naminé stuttered nervously.

"But how?" asked Olette. "But _why_?"

"Well…I was lonely with Roxas gone," Naminé admitted. "He was my _life_. You wouldn't understand."

"Oh, really…?" Olette said dryly, crossing her arms.

"Hayner came by one day, and he noticed me looking sad," Naminé continued. "He asked me what was wrong and we just sort of…linked. Ever since then, we've been keeping undercover."

Olette frowned.

"I don't like this."

"I know. I wouldn't either. But we'd really appreciate if you didn't tell him. _Please?_"

Naminé crossed her hands together and gave her a pleading look. Olette sighed and put her hand to her forehead.

"Well…"

Selphie suddenly popped her head out the door.

"What are you still _doing_ out here, Ollie?" she asked. "If you haven't noticed, the sun's already set."

Selphie turned her head and noticed Hayner and Naminé.

"Oh, hi, guys!" she chirped. "What are you two doing out here?"

"Oh…uh…sports practice was cancelled because of Christmas break," Hayner said, shrugging. "Who knew?"

"And I finished washing up a few minutes ago," Naminé lied. "I'm quick."

"Oh, well, come back inside before you all get sick," Selphie ordered. "C'mon, Ollie, let's play cards!"

**&&&**

Even in the warmth of the house, Olette still remained stone cold. How could they? _How could they?_

She turned to look at Roxas, laughing and talking with his friends. He was so innocent—so clueless.

"C'mon, Ollie!" prodded Selphie. "It's you're turn!"

"Oh…sorry," Olette muttered, throwing down a card.

Roxas stood up and walked over to them.

"Who's winning?" he asked.

"Me!" Selphie replied almost instantly. "But I think it's because Olette's not trying. Ollie, are you _letting_me win?"

She crossed her arms disapprovingly. Olette forced a smile and shook her head. Roxas looked at her.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "Did you see something that bothered you?"

_Yes, yes, and yes again! _Olette thought frantically.

"No," she replied against her better judgment. "I'm just…tired, is all."

She looked down at her cards and sighed fretfully.

_What if I did?_

**Muffin: Thanks, glad you liked it! I love making Selphie so excited and bouncy. She's almost my favorite character in this one. Roxas was thinking it. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Keyblade Master of Promise: Thanks and here's your update! **

**Zestychicken2: Thanks, glad you liked…Roxas. Go, Selphie! WHOOT! Yeah, I wanted to make Roxas a bit softer. Thanks, and NO, it's NOT. Thanks so much and I'm glad you liked lots!**

**Bexmar: It is, it's very nice, but kind of boring. Personally, I prefer Hollow Bastion, no matter how confusing it is. She talks quite a lot—personally I think it's a charming characteristic. They started in autumn, and yes, I skipped quite a lot, but there was nothing else much to tell. Okay, I'll do it quickly right now: **_**They studied their butts off, but not without Sora complaining. After a little convincing on Kairi's part, they made a study group and decided they would get together to work so it would be a lot easier. Kairi's letter was sent successfully to Riku (or so Flurin said), but no reply was sent back. Whenever Kairi's doubtful, Sora or Olette is there, and their three months together went easier than at the beginning, with the exceptions of Seifer and constant mentions of Naminé. **_**Okay, that's all I have! Thanks for reviewing!**

**IceyShadowofFate: Thanks! Here's your update!**

**Alright! Thanks, everybody, for your support! Now I've got to go work on whatever I have to work on…and buy cookies!**

**Read and review!**

**Always wear a sweater!**

**Don't freeze to death!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (II), Roxas, Olette, Seifer, etc.**

**Author's Note: I have realized that when I put "Author's Note" I should put "Authoress' Note", since I am undoubtedly female. However, it's too late to change it because "Author's Note" is now, like, my mark. Everyone expects that "Author's Note" and I cannot change it. **

**Warning: Suspicion might be the word we're looking for. **

**Quick Author Babble: Bored, b-bored, BUH bored, bun ah nah…**

Chapter 7: Suspicions

Roxas yawned and rolled over. He couldn't get to sleep for some reason. After all the times he couldn't sleep because of work overload in the past three months, and the one time he _can_ sleep, he can't?

Stupid irony.

Roxas sighed and got up. There was no point in trying to sleep, really. He'd just be more awake. Maybe a walk would tire him?

Roxas blinked and heard his parents getting into another argument over letting Roxas get back to university. ("He can't leave! His friends will be heartbroken!" says his mom. "Come now, Iowa, Roxas is a big boy now and his friends can take care of themselves. You are far too worrisome," says his father.)

Roxas cringed as he heard a loud "OUCH!" echo through the house. Mrs. Hera must've just slapped him. ("Don't you go judging me, mister!")

Roxas sighed.

Make that a _long_ walk.

He quickly got dressed and grabbed his coat and walked down the staircase, exiting the house as quickly as possible. He walked down the snowy streets, watching snowflakes float to the ground, glimmering in the moonlight. He looked up at the moon, completely unaware of his surroundings, trying to get as sleepy as possible…

"Aah!"

Roxas snapped out of his reverie and quickly grabbed the person he walked into before she fell to the ground.

"Sorry about that," he apologized quickly, helping the person stand up again. "I wasn't watching where I was going…"

"I-It's okay."

Roxas froze at the familiar voice. The person turned to him, revealing two very emerald eyes, locks of brown hair falling haphazardly downward, and a meek sort of smile.

"Olette!" cried Roxas.

What the heck was _she_ doing out here at one in the morning?

"Hi," Olette said, face tinted red from the cold. "Sorry for walking into you. I've got to go…"

It seemed like she was eager to get away from him. She quickly started to walk away.

"Wait," Roxas said. "What are you _doing_ out here?"

"Oh…um…thinking," Olette remarked quickly, turning back around.

Roxas smiled, amused.

"And what, exactly, do you have to think about?" he teased.

Olette turned redder, this time not from the cold.

"Oh…um…lots of things," she stated. "You know, university stuff, parents, Christmas…No big deal. It's not like I'm thinking about relationships or anything. It's not like anyone's cheating on anybody with other people's best friends. Nope, definitely not! Where'd you get that idea?"

"Uh…" Roxas stuttered.

"Oh, what's the time?" Olette asked, looking at her wrist (Roxas couldn't help but notice she didn't have a watch on). "Oh, jeez, it's late! Sorry, Roxas, but I've got to go! It was nice talking to you!"

"But…Olette…"

"_Bye!_"

With one, swift wave of her arm, Olette raced down the sidewalk, disappearing into the starry, night background. Roxas watched her run with wide eyes.

"'Cheating on anybody with other people's best friends'?" Roxas repeated, confusion coming onto his features. "Huh. Olette's one strange girl."

**&&&**

Ah…breakfast time—the most important meal of the day. As Roxas sank down into a chair at the dining table, he noticed that neither of his parents was talking to each other. Mr. Hera's nose was buried in the newspaper, trying in vain to ignore his wife (Roxas knew this because he was reading the sports section upside down), and Mrs. Hera was busy knitting a scarf (or _was_ it a scarf? It looked more like an octopus than anything). Roxas looked from the upside down newspaper to the malfunctioned, eight-legged scarf and sighed.

"I'm proud that you're going to university, son," Mr. Hera finally stated, peeking over the upside down _Twilight Tigers Triumph _article.

"And I'm happy that you're at home with your family and friends, _where you belong_," Mrs. Hera said, giving her husband a piercing stare.

"Uh…" Roxas stuttered.

The doorbell suddenly rang.

"I'll get it!" Roxas cried, relieved.

He jumped up and ran over to the door. As the door opened, it revealed Hayner. He had a hyper expression on his face and a basketball under his arm.

"Hey, Roxas, up for some basketball?" he asked. "Or am I too much for ya?"

Roxas was about to answer when his mother came racing up to the doorway.

"Hayner, you're happy Roxas is back, right?" she asked, eyes sparking.

"Uh…yeah, I guess…" Hayner replied slowly, exchanging looks with Roxas.

"Yes, but you're also proud of him getting into university, _right_?" Mr. Hera asked, coming up behind Mrs. Hera.

"Y-Yeah…"

But neither parent seemed to hear Hayner. Mrs. Hera turned to look at her husband.

"Why would Hayner care if Roxas got into university or not?" she snapped.

"Why _wouldn't _he care?" Mr. Hera. "They've known each other for years!"

"Exactly!" cried Mrs. Hera hotly. "That's why we must not separate them! Roxas should stay here, with all his friends and family!"

"Iowa, you are being overdramatic," Mr. Hera said impatiently. "I love our son, you know I do, but he is a big boy now, and if he wishes to have a happy and successful life, he must get the proper education."

As the argument continued, Roxas nudged Hayner.

"Quick, let's get out of here before they start asking questions again," he hissed.

"Good idea," Hayner replied, and he quietly opened the door and they both snuck out.

As they were a good way out Mr. Hera's and Mrs. Hera's earshot, Hayner turned to Roxas.

"What the heck was _that_ all about?" he asked.

"They had this big fight last night about if I should go back to university after Christmas break or not," Roxas explained. "My mom thinks I should stay. She misses me too much, and she's using my friends as an excuse. She's demented that way, my mom—always thinking the best for me is to just stay at home."

"Hmm…" Hayner murmured thoughtfully, trying to spin the basketball on his finger, but could only last for a couple of seconds before it fell back into his other hand. "Well, what do _you _want to do?"

"Well, staying at home is a nice idea, but, I don't know, if I don't go back, it's like all the work I did was for nothing, you know?" Roxas stated, looking at Hayner.

"No, I _don't _know," Hayner replied dully. "I've never been much of a workaholic like you, Rox. Dang! Why won't this ball keep on my finger?!"

"I mean, Naminé is a problem," Roxas continued. "She's probably the main reason I'm considering staying. But now that I think about it, wouldn't she be happier if I got a great job after going to university and came back and proposed?"

Hayner seemed like he'd just choked on something. He started hacking and coughing.

"Are you okay?" Roxas asked, stopping suddenly and whacking his friend on the back.

Hayner straightened up again and looked slightly green in the face as he turned to Roxas.

"_Proposed?_" he said weakly.

"Well…yeah," Roxas said, smiling and nodding. "I mean…"

"Stop," Hayner ordered, his face very stern and his voice firm. "Stop right there, my stupid, oblivious friend."

Roxas looked at him with wide, blue eyes.

"You're thinking about _marriage _already?!" Hayner shouted. "For Pete's sake, Roxas! _You're only nineteen!_"

"I won't be nineteen when I finish university!" Roxas retorted. "Besides, I really love Naminé. I don't think I'll regret it in the least…"

He turned a vibrant red and looked down at his feet.

"Yeah, wow, looks like you've got your whole life planned out, Roxas," Hayner remarked sarcastically.

"What?" Roxas cried, looking up at Hayner's you're-such-an-idiot expression. "It's true! I'll do it as soon as I graduate from Twilight!"

"Yeah, and I'm sure you'll have your wedding with unicorns and fairies will decorate the cake with pixie magic," Hayner said in a teasing, high-pitched voice. "Roxas, you're thinking illogically. By the time you finish university, it's likely that Naminé would've moved on. I mean, it's a lot of time away from her. Heck, _you'd _probably have a girlfriend by then too!"

Hayner looked at Roxas's clearly puzzled face.

"Listen, I know you think Naminé will wait forever for you to come back," Hayner stated, "but _she won't_. She has a life of her own, you know, and a job and heavy responsibilities just like you."

Roxas could feel his head almost mechanically nodding.

"Look, here's the schoolyard," Hayner said. "Let's just play some basketball and work some of this stress off, okay?"

Roxas looked up to see the schoolyard, dark grey pavement covered in chalk lines, painted on Four Square lines, and painted on basketball lines. Two basketball nets stood parallel to each other on each far side of the pavement.

"Come on, let's shoot some hoops," Hayner suggested.

Roxas nodded absently, thinking about what Hayner had said. Was it true? Would Naminé and he truly move on? He sighed.

**&&&**

"Roxas, I have a feeling your head isn't in the game," Hayner said, as the basketball hit Roxas's head for the umpteenth time. "Or, maybe, your head's the only thing that's part of you in the game, because it's the only part of you hitting the ball!"

"Yeah, well, I'm thinking," Roxas replied, sounding rather frustrated.

"Okay, okay, I'm just saying we're here to play basketball, not think until our minds bleed. So c'mon!"

With a heavy sigh, Roxas took the basketball from Hayner and dribbled it. He began to run rather undirected—he wasn't really paying attention to where he was going.

As he jumped to get the basketball in the net, his arm crashed into the loose, metal piece hanging from the rim of the net. He screamed in pain as the sharp piece dug through his skin and tore along his arm.

"Roxas!" cried Hayner in horror.

As Roxas dropped back to the ground he felt the same arm clang into the basketball net pole. It was undoubtedly broken.

Roxas could barely see Hayner run up to him through the blurry tears of pain that had gathered.

"Roxas!" shouted Hayner, looking frightened and not sure of what to do.

"It…it hurts," Roxas said, trying his best not to cry.

"I'm taking you home," Hayner stated determinedly.

"Good to hear it," Roxas said, smiling wanly.

"At least your attitude's still intact," Hayner sighed, rolling his eyes and heaving Roxas up.

**&&&**

"Oh, Roxas, my poor little baby!" cooed Mrs. Hera, after an appointment with the doctor. "A broken arm and, oh, that cut's most definitely going to turn out to be a scar! Oh, my little darling!"

"_Mom!_" whined Roxas as Mrs. Hera dived in and planted a big kiss on his forehead. "Not when my friends are around!"

Surely enough, the news of Roxas's brutally severed arm traveled fast around his small group of friends, and they'd all come to see him. Everyone was looking rather worried, except for Selphie, who was bouncing around in her usual state.

"Sorry, dear," Mrs. Hera apologized. "I'll leave you alone with your friends."

"_Thank you_," Roxas said in that demanding sort of voice.

Mrs. Hera toddled off into the kitchen, probably to make comfort food for Roxas _and _herself.

"Oh, Roxas, does it hurt?" Olette asked worriedly.

"No, I'm fine," Roxas replied.

"It's not your writing arm, is it?" Pence asked. "Wouldn't want you to be in trouble the first day you get back to TU…"

"Nope," Roxas said. "I'm left-handed, remember?"

"Roxas, you dork!" Hayner exclaimed. "You play basketball with your right hand and write with your left hand?!"

Roxas shrugged.

"I'm special."

"Uh huh," Hayner said dryly.

"Roxas, do you need anything?" Kairi asked worriedly, sounding almost exactly like Mrs. Hera. "A drink? A snack? A special TV show?"

"No, Kairi, really, I'm fine," Roxas replied.

"Hey, Kairi, I hurt my arm too," Sora teased.

"Shut up, Sora!" Kairi said. "This is serious!"

"Can I sign your cast?" Selphie asked.

Everybody looked at her, surprised by the very unserious question, with everybody else worrying over Roxas's arm.

"_Selph_!" hissed Olette, which made Selphie stop bouncing at once.

"It's okay, Olette," Roxas said. "I don't mind."

Selphie stuck her tongue out at Olette as she took out a marker and signed her name.

"Listen, Roxas, I know you wouldn't let your mom do this, but…" Naminé began, and she leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. Roxas didn't even see Olette's disgruntled face.

**&&&**

It was evening and the sun was about to set. The group sat on the many couches and sofas in the den and watched _The Shawshank Redemption_.

Sora yawned and laid his head on the back of the couch and closed his eyes. Hayner was already long asleep and drooling. Pence was stuffing popcorn in his face, as if that was the only thing keeping him awake. Selphie was asleep on Olette's shoulder. Naminé had fallen asleep in Roxas's arms. Olette and Kairi were the only ones truly awake and watching the movie, but that was probably because they had picked the movie.

"The second best movie ever," Kairi had said.

Roxas could feel his eyes closing. He had never felt this tired in his life, except for maybe when he was forced to watch that documentary on the earthworm a few years ago in biology. He had to keep awake—he wouldn't know what his mother would do if she walked in and found him asleep holding Naminé.

"I'll get chips!" he found himself exclaiming.

Everyone was suddenly awake now.

"Get barbecue!" Hayner cried, popping up.

"No, don't!" Sora argued. "Get sour cream and onion!"

"That's a chick flavor, dude," Hayner insulted, glaring at Sora.

"Of course _you_ would know all the chick flavors, Hayner," Sora replied, smiling smugly.

"Ooh…" said Pence.

"YOU LITTLE…" Hayner began, jumping to his feet.

"You know what?" Roxas shouted over Hayner's voice, "I'll get both!"

This seemed to calm both boys down, so Hayner sat down again.

"Hayner, can I see you out in the hallway for minute?" Naminé asked as Roxas disappeared.

Roxas went into the kitchen and grabbed two bags of chips from the pantry. While he was pouring them into separate bowls, he froze as he heard voices.

"Hayner, this is wrong," said a female voice from the hallway.

"I don't see what's so wrong, Nam," replied the other voice. "Roxas left, so it's too bad for him."

"But…Roxas…I care about him a lot."

"I know. So do I. He's my best friend, after all. But…"

"And Olette's already caught us. We can't go around…"

"Hayner! Naminé! Are you watching the movie or not?!" came Sora's voice from the den.

"Coming!" called Naminé.

There were footsteps, and when they had completely disappeared, Roxas could feel anger rush through him at all he'd just heard. Then he remembered the other sentence Naminé had said:

"_And Olette's already caught us."_

Before, when Olette told him she'd seen nothing, had she been lying? Was that when she'd "caught Hayner and Naminé"? Slowly, he realized what he had to do.

He had to talk to Olette.

_What if you lied?_

**Muffin: Thanks! I didn't know you liked Haynami, but I guess you do, since you like anything crack basically. Hopefully she will. I hate Naminé…in this story, that is. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Zestychicken2: Yeah, poor Roxas! Let's not get too upset, now. Thanks, I just updated, so you should be happy. Aw, thanks so much! I'll check your one-shots out! Thanks, you are too nice! Here's your update!**

**Keyblade Master of Promise: I did that because I'm EVIL! (Thunder, lightning, evil laughter and all that other crud.) Yeah, well, it sucks, I guess…for him. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Bexmar: A bit angry, huh? Yeah, true. True again. True and true again. Yes, and also she knows it'll hurt Roxas if she told him, and she does not want to hurt him. I see, well, thanks! Thank you for your review!**

**Okay, guys, I'm tired…I'm going to take a break from writing. **

**SO SORRY THIS CHAPTER TOOK SO LONG. SORRY.**

**Asta la bye-bye! **


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Wicked Truth

**Disclaimer: You know I don't own anything.**

**Author's Note: Happy Late Easter, everyone! School starts tomorrow for me, and I am majorly upset. Also, I know I haven't updated this story in, like, forever, and I know that is frustrating and I am so incredibly sorry. But I did, so don't kill me!**

**Warning: YOUR QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED!**

**Quick Author Babble: Selphie ROCKS!**

Chapter 8: The Wicked Truth

"Oh my goodness, Olette, this'll be the funnest thing ever!" Selphie squealed, collapsing on the sofa beside her friend with a bowl of popcorn.

"'Funnest' isn't a _word_, Selph," Olette corrected her, taking a handful of popcorn.

"Oh, poo, like that matters," Selphie remarked, rolling her eyes. "You haven't changed a bit, Ollie. The point _is _that we're going to be having a sleepover, just like old times! I've missed you, Ollie, really, your annoying knack to not care for gossip, your constant correcting of vocabulary, and your unwillingness to go shopping…I've missed it all, and I'm not even lying!"

"Gee, thanks, Selphie," Olette said dryly. "I can always depend on you to cheer me up."

Olette had decided to sleepover at Selphie's house after a couple of days, since she had really missed her best friend. Maybe, after Selphie decided to reach out to farther colleges and universities, they wouldn't have a chance to see each other anymore. It was the perfect time to come too because Selphie's younger brother, Percival, was sleeping over at some friend's house and her parents were out at a meeting or something.

"So, any gossip recently?" chirped Selphie, bouncing on the sofa excitedly.

Olette looked at her in disbelief.

"You can't be serious."

"No, I am! I want to hear _everything_! I mean, what's Sora and Kairi been up to? Getting any closer to a date?"

"Selphie…"

"No, tell me more about Naminé! She's being a witch, right? A spoiled brat? Have you heard much about her past?"

"_Selphie…" _

"No, tell me about this Seifer guy! Is he hot? Does he like you? Because I, personally, would probably go for him more than Rox—"

The bubbly girl suddenly stopped in mid-sentence, her lime green eyes wide, turning to look at Olette with a look of realization on her features. Olette knew what was about to happen and suddenly felt like she could vanish.

"Ollie…" she said with mounting excitement.

"Y-Yeah?" stuttered Olette, feeling all the colour vanish from her cheeks.

"I want to hear about _Roxas_."

Taking a big outtake of breath, Olette looked at her, feeling very squirmy. Half of Selphie's face was covered in a big, toothy smile.

"Roxas?" she asked to clarify, even though she'd heard Selphie perfectly well.

"Yes, _Roxas_!" cried Selphie, extending his name as if it was some priceless treasure. "You've got to tell me _sometime_ about him, Ollie, hiding your crushes from me!"

"_I don't like him!"_

"Yeah, you do!" Selphie chirped triumphantly. "I know you do. I can tell by the way you react. Even the thought of him makes you embarrassed."

Crossing her arms stubbornly, Olette turned away from Selphie to hide the redness of her face.

"I am _not_ embarrassed and I am _not_ telling you anything," she said.

"Ollie, _please_!" Selphie whined. "I need to know what's so special about him!"

"There's nothing special about him!"

"Tell me!"

"No!"

Selphie clasped her hands together and made a pleading, puppy stare, her bottom lip trembling.

"_Tell me!"_

"_No!"_

"TELL ME, OLLIE, OR I'LL TELL ROXAS ABOUT THE LETTERS YOU SENT ME!!"

"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!"

The begging expression had fallen from Selphie's face and was replaced with a mischievous, stubborn one.

"You know me, Olette," she said coolly. "You know I would."

There was a very long pause. Olette's emerald eyes glared right into Selphie's lime ones. Finally, Olette exhaled.

"Fine," she gave in. "Fine, I'll tell you."

Selphie squealed and clapped, and waited for Olette to tell her with a triumphant smile on her face.

"Roxas is a perfectly friendly person," Olette stated. "He's mild-mannered and can be a little immature sometimes, but he still understands his responsibilities. He's not afraid to say what he thinks, and I guess that's what I like most about him."

"I thought you were mad at him because of that?" Selphie asked.

"I was," Olette agreed, "at first. I guess I wasn't used to it, arguing with someone like that. Maybe I got used to it, maybe I liked it…I don't know. But it doesn't hurt me anymore."

"I guess not," Selphie said, "since I got no complaints from your letters afterward."

There was a long pause as both Selphie and Olette tuned their thoughts into the spiky, blond-haired boy. Olette sort of wondered if Naminé would ever get on his nerves, but they seemed too close for that—at least, in her eyes. It was kind of strange to see so many people getting along with her so well when all she had to do was smile at Olette to annoy her.

"So…" Selphie breathed, breaking into Olette's thoughts, "do you think he's cute?"

"Will you shut up about that already?!" Olette yelled at the girl, half irritated because she'd broken into her thoughts and the other half for mentioning this subject again and again.

"Come _on_, Ollie, you never answer!" Selphie whined.

"Has it ever occurred to you that I don't _want_ to answer?"

"Yes, many times, but I'm not going to let that stop me!"

Selphie smiled brightly at her. Olette laughed and hit her on the arm.

"You're ridiculous, Selph, you know that?" Olette giggled.

"I've been known to be," Selphie replied. "Now ANSWER THE QUESTION!!"

"NO!"

"TOO BAD!! YOU'RE GOING TO TELL ME WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!!"

With their raised voices, Olette swore people could hear them across the street. She was annoyed that Selphie kept pressing this subject on her. It was really the last thing she needed. With the depressing subject of Naminé and Hayner's affair beating down on her, she didn't want to deal with any more emotions until it was sorted out. Selphie just didn't seem to understand that simple questions could sometimes be the biggest turn of events in your life, _especially_ with such puzzling things as cheating and betrayal already surrounding you. Even with a stupid question like that, it could cause major damage, because Selphie was quite a blab and if it got out to Naminé, it would just add jealousy to the mix, and who knows where _that_ would lead to.

But of course Selphie couldn't understand this because nobody besides Naminé, Hayner, and Olette knew what was really going on. Olette hadn't even confided in her best friend because, to be totally honest, she was scared.

She was scared of lots of things. The first one, of course, was breaking Roxas's heart, and it was probably the top of the list. The second, Hayner scared her a little, and the third, Naminé would seek vengeance, and knowing her seductive way with dealing in things, she would probably get Roxas wrapped around her pinky finger maybe even tighter than before, and Olette couldn't allow that to happen. She just _couldn't_.

"Come _on_, Ollie, it's just a simple question!" Selphie chirped excitedly.

"Selph…" Olette began.

She was stopped as the doorbell rang loud and clear through the nearly empty house. Olette breathed out. Saved by the bell.

"I'll get it," Selphie said, getting up off the sofa, then looking sternly at Olette. "But don't think this'll get you out of answering the question!"

She walked over to the door. Olette watched as she disappeared out of sight.

"Hi," a familiar voice greeted.

"H-Hi?" squeaked Selphie.

At the sound of her confused friend, Olette too walked over to the door to be greeted by a surprising sight—Roxas was standing there, arm locked in a cast with Selphie's messy, blue handwriting on it. Olette couldn't help but feel slightly shocked at this coincidence.

"R-Roxas?" she stuttered, then quickly shook her head and placed a friendly smile on her face. "What are you doing here?"

Roxas's face looked anything but happy, though. His lips were pressed in a tight line and his forehead looked a little furrowed.

"Um…Olette…we need to talk," he said, his stare burning holes right through her.

"About what?" she asked, utterly confused.

Roxas stole a nervous look at Selphie, who too was looking bewildered.

"Can we talk about this outside?" he questioned.

"Yeah, of course," Olette answered, looking anxiously at Selphie.

Olette joined Roxas out on the doorstep and shut the door behind her, entering the crisp, night air of winter. Feeling a little chilly, she rubbed her arms in a desperate attempt to keep warm.

"Olette," Roxas said, frowning even deeper still, "I wanted to talk to you…about Hayner and Naminé."

Olette's blood ran cold, and it wasn't from the freezing temperature. Quickly turning away so that she wouldn't have to look at him, she quickly contemplated on what to do. She wondered if lying would be the safer route, considering that, in theory, no one would get hurt. Roxas would continue to be blissfully unaware. Something he didn't know couldn't hurt him, right?

"What are you talking about?" Olette asked, pretending to be oblivious.

"What I'm talking about is if Naminé is cheating on me with Hayner?" Roxas snapped.

Olette bit her lip so hard that blood ran. What was she supposed to say to that? Lie through her teeth?

"Of course not, not as far as I know," Olette said in what she thought was a normal voice. "I mean, you two are _perfectly_ happy together. So romantic, yes, I'm almost jealous…why are you asking _me_ this anyway?"

"Because I heard them in the hallway and Naminé said 'Olette's already caught us'," Roxas stated.

"O-Oh…did she?" Olette stuttered.

She desperately racked her brain for ideas. Walking to the railing on either side of the doorstep, she put her hands on the cool, soft wood and looked up at the starry sky.

"You got me!" Olette cried suddenly, thinking on the spot, turning around and giving a huge smile. "They were planning a welcome home party for you a-and I walked in on them while they were talking about the…plans!"

Roxas, however, continued to remain stone-faced. There was a long moment of silence. Olette's face was starting to hurt from smiling so much.

"You're a terrible liar, Olette," Roxas finally said.

And with that, he promptly turned around and stormed down the street.

"Roxas, wait!" Olette raced down the walkway after him. "Roxas, I'm…"

He broke into a run and disappeared down the street before Olette could even reach the road. Stopping, knowing she won't be able to catch up with him, Olette found herself tearing up.

"I'm sorry," she choked, taking slow steps backward before running into the house.

**

* * *

**

"No way! I can't believe you were hiding that big a thing from me!"

Olette sighed and placed her cup of tea once again to her lips as she watched Selphie pace around the room. She was still feeling guilty that she had not told Roxas the truth, and yet couldn't bring herself to run after him or phone him—like he'd pick up anyway.

"Are we best friends or not?" Selphie pouted, crossing her arms.

"Of course we are," Olette said. "But I promised Naminé I wouldn't tell anyone…"

"So what?!" cried Selphie. "Suddenly Naminé's more important than me?! How could you keep a promise to that _absolute witch_ when you knew she was cheating on Roxas?!"

Olette bit her lip. Now that she brought it up, why _did_ she? How could she be so _stupid_ to keep her promise to that lying, scheming, evil person?

"It doesn't matter," Selphie sighed. "It's too late. Too much harm has already been done."

"I'm sorry, Selphie!" Olette suddenly broke out. "I wasn't thinking! I should've known better! Maybe if I'd come to you earlier, we could've thought of something!"

"Well…" Selphie said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully, "maybe it's _not _too late."

Olette looked up at her quizzically.

"It's never too late to try," Selphie remarked, breaking into a grin. "Now that I know, maybe we _can_ think of something!"

"But are we going to try to fix?" Olette asked. "Roxas already knows…I've broken my promise to Naminé…Hayner's going to really get his butt kicked…"

"That's it!" Selphie exclaimed, slamming her fist into the palm of her hand. "Hayner!"

Feeling completely lost, which usually happened while Selphie was brainstorming—she and Olette thought in totally different ways—Olette felt like she could only ask more questions.

"What about Hayner?" she asked.

"Hayner is the guy Naminé's cheating with," Selphie replied. "He's also Roxas's best friend. Obviously he didn't do it to hurt Roxas. If we find out the reason, maybe we could go to the core of the problem and fix everything."

"And…and Roxas will go back to Naminé?"

Olette asked the question against her will. She could not help but be curious.

"Maybe," Selphie said, shrugging. "Maybe not. It kind of depends on which way the wind blows."

Olette looked down. She didn't know if she could accept Roxas dating Naminé again. On the other hand, she didn't want Roxas to get hurt, or lose his friends, or get mad at her. Okay, so maybe the last reason was a little selfish, but Olette still found it a good reason.

"Maybe you should get in contact with Roxas," Selphie suggested. "You know, apologize."

"I don't know," Olette sighed. "He's really mad, and I don't blame him…"

"He'll just keep being mad if you don't apologize," Selphie shot at her with a stern look.

"Well…okay…"

Olette took out her cell phone and went down her alphabetically arranged contact list to find Roxas near the bottom. It kept on ringing and didn't stop. Finally giving up, Olette hung up.

"Of course he's not picking up," she said with a defeated voice.

"Hmm…let's see if he's online," Selphie decided. "He doesn't live too far away. He's probably at home by now."

Olette doubted it highly, but they sat down on the computer and Olette signed in. A few seconds later, Olette's contact list opened. There was only one person who appeared to be online.

Roxas.

Feeling a little surprised and not daring to look at Selphie, Olette wondered what he was doing going on when obviously she would try to get in contact with him.

"What are you doing, just sitting there?" Selphie snapped. "Type!"

"He's not going to reply…" Olette muttered.

"Do it!"

**Olliepop: **Roxas?

Olette held her breath.

**Pop Rox: **Wut?

Olette immediately released the air, surprised.

**Olliepop: **I am SO sry bout 2nite.

**Pop Rox:** No ur not. If u actually cared, u would've told me.

**Olliepop: **I no this is going to sound stupid, but I promised Naminé…

**Pop Rox:** Ur right. It DOES sound stupid.

**Olliepop: **Roxas! Would u just listen for a sec?

**Pop Rox: **NO! I'm DONE with this, Olette! Just DON'T talk to me!

**Olliepop: **No, u've got to hear me out…

**Pop Rox: **Now if u'll excuse me, I'm going to go slaughter Hayner.

Pop Rox has logged off.

_What if you avenge?_

**Mwa, ha, ha. That was FUN! Roxas with attitude! **

**Zestychicken2: Yes, awakenings are not fun…I think. Hurray! I drove you insane for a rather long time! Thanks! Mwa, ha, ha…er…not exactly. But I will think of something…to make things…better. **

**Fuyu no Kitsune: It was fun writing that part! I know, I can't help it. But in MY DEFENSE…Roxas? Olette? HAYNER? Like those names aren't weird. Lol. **

**Muffin: I cannot wish you happy New Year back because, as it happens, it is now the day after Easter. Whoa, it's been a long time! It's better to be ecstatic than murderous. I do not know where that came from…Yeah, I have never written Haynami before. I didn't update soon…actually…I took my sweet time, but, here it is!**

**Bexmar: Yeah, I've been going all crazy over my Sokai/Kaiora/Soriri fic because it's done, DONE, so I've been working my butt off for it. It's okay, you had tons of time. Oh, I'm sorry about your computer. Ha, lie AND truth! But lie first. **

**Doctor Kiba: You're supposed to be left hanging, because I'm an evil person. You sound sort of like Selphie. And RIKU?? Oh my gosh, I forgot about him. That is not good, ladies and gentlemen, not good in the least. Ah, well, I'll get back to him soon enough, I suppose. **

**Soraholic: I will…not! Ah, well, I'm just glad I got around to updating. Thanks!**

**Vampyric Ninja: My feelings exactly!**

**Twighlight's Desire: Thanks, I'll update as soon as possible next time, promise. **

**Anime-crazy-fangirl: Thanks so much!!**

**Okay, you guys. I know this was SUPER LATE, but I couldn't help it, I was obsessing over HMTMKMKM, and I guess this story got lost in the midst. I feel SO bad! I'll give you all candy if you keep reviewing…**

**Happy Belated Easter!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Roxas, Olette, Hayner, etc.**

**Author's Note: This was fun, fun, fun! I don't know why, but I happened to have a hard time writing this chapter, but the ending seemed to escape me, and I realized, wow, this was fun!**

**Warning: Rude language is contained in this chapter. **

**Quick Author Babble: FACT: Did you know that the original title of this chapter was **_**My Good Ol' Ex-Best Friend**_**? Well, it was, but then I changed it! **

Chapter 9: Oranges and Old Wounds

Roxas was outraged, horrifyingly angry, frustrated and every bad feeling under the sun. His blue eyes were so threatening that they were almost shooting sparks. Every footstep he took seemed heavy, as if he'd just transformed into the Hulk. He wouldn't be surprised if he had, actually. He was _that_ mad.

And why was he _this_ mad? Oh, no important reason. It just happened that his best friend that he'd known for practically forever happened to be having an affair with his girlfriend who he'd loved ever since he'd met her. Oh, yeah, it was absolutely _nothing_ to worry about.

Hayner had never been that friendly—he enjoyed pranking Roxas, fake beating him up, and gloating in his face when he won any game they'd been playing. But this competitiveness did not push the two friends away from each other—as a matter of fact, it seemed to pull them closer, always eager to show the other one up, no matter what the consequences.

But Hayner had never gone _this_ far. In fact, he'd never gone a mile away from this far. He may not have been the smartest of the group of friends, but he wasn't _stupid_. No one was stupid enough to realize Roxas and Naminé weren't dating. Besides, Hayner had always been supportive of this idea—he was the one who had convinced Roxas to ask Naminé on their first date, actually. And now…_now_…_THIS_?!

What the heck _was_ this? What category of lowliness did this fall under? Betrayal? Jealousy? Thievery?

Roxas wasn't exactly an expert on this "friends' loyalty" stuff, but he was sure if someone were to rate what Hayner did, he would fall off the charts.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears. Tears of rage were blurring everything in front of him. His breath was tearing at his lungs. Perhaps, if he just laid there on his bed for long enough, he would die and all this suffering would end.

If only life were that easy.

After logging off the computer, he'd been laying there, thinking—thinking about how much he hated Hayner, thinking about how this possibly could've happened, thinking about what he was going to say—what he was going to _do_—tomorrow.

Roxas didn't usually let his emotions get the better of him. He was not that kind of person. By people who didn't know his name, he was usually called "that quiet guy who sits in the corner" or "that boy who barely talks." But this time, he had this strong urge to grab Hayner and kill him with his own, bare hands.

How could Olette possibly hide this from him? This was the question that bothered him most. He thought Olette was his friend. He thought he could trust her. Everyone trusted Olette. She was kind, helpful, and had that comforting scent of oranges that Roxas had strangely grown attached to.

But that was beside the point.

The point _was_ that she had played as big a part in this as Hayner. She had hidden the turning point in Roxas's life from him. Why? He didn't know. But for whatever reason, she was lying, and it couldn't have been for Naminé's sake, because she'd said a countless number of times she didn't like her. And for Hayner, she barely knew him. She obviously thought of him as a jerk then.

Why not say anything?

Roxas groaned. His head was hurting like crazy. He just needed to sleep. Then he'll figure out what to do in the morning.

And, if he was lucky, he'd die before then.

**222**

Before his mother had even wished him a good morning, Roxas was out of the house, storming down the street. Snow was clouding his vision and the blankets of white were up to his knees—such terrible weather. Like Roxas cared.

He was plenty warm from the red hot anger running through his veins. His first destination: Hayner's house.

Well, his only destination. But to be fair, he'd probably spend _a lot_ of time there. So, it counted as quite a few destinations in his opinion.

As he approached the walkway, he wondered what to say. He was going to yell. And scream. And most probably strangle.

He rang the doorbell. He waited five seconds. His plan was to burst inside and yell, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING WITH NAMINÉ??" Well, maybe not. Maybe he should act normal and then ask him as they sat at the table, making him all nervous and then beating the crap right out of him.

The door opened to reveal Hayner's, as always, mischievous-looking face. It turned out Roxas's fists acted faster than his words—the next thing he knew, his fist was connecting with Hayner's nose.

"WHAT THE (**A/N**: This fic is rated K+), ROXAS?!" Hayner yelled, covering his bleeding nose with his hand.

"DON'T YOU THINK FOR A SECOND _YOU'RE_ ALLOWED TO BE MAD AT _ME_!!" Roxas screamed, voice reaching top level. "WHAT, YOU THINK IT'D JUST BE _FUN_ TO HAVE AN AFFAIR WITH MY GIRLFRIEND?? JUST GOT UP ONE DAY AND DECIDED, 'HEY, WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT TO MAKE OUT WITH NAMINÉ TODAY'?!"

Hayner turned three shades whiter.

"Oh…uh…" he stuttered, his voice shrinking, "it's…it's really complicated, Roxas…"

"YEAH, I'M SURE IT IS, BECAUSE IT'S ALWAYS HARD TO UNDERSTAND WHEN MY BEST FRIEND GOES BEHIND MY BACK AND TAKES MY GIRLFRIEND!!"

"Roxas…lower your voice…please…God…" Hayner said exasperatedly, looking nervously at some wide-eyed neighbors walking across the street.

"I AM NOT GOING TO LOWER MY V…" Roxas began, when Hayner tackled him and covered his mouth with his hand and pulled him inside.

Roxas kicked backwards. Hayner howled in pain and let go of him. Roxas just looked down at him, yelling swear words he had never used before. (Were some of them even in existence before? He was losing track.) But no one was stopping him. He was not going to let this opportunity slip through his fingers.

"To be fair, Roxas," Hayner croaked from the floor, "you never really were much of a ladies' man. I, on the other hand…"

He moved to get up. Roxas kicked him down again.

"Smart," Roxas snapped. "Real funny."

Hayner looked up at him with wide, brown eyes.

"I get it, you're mad," he said, putting up his hands in surrender. "I would be too."

"OF COURSE I'M MAD!" Roxas flamed, nearly kicking Hayner again, but the camouflage clad boy had already jumped up.

How could he possibly _not_ be mad? Had Hayner always been this much of an idiot? Or had Roxas just been stupidly oblivious?

"Roxas, Roxas!" Hayner took a few steps back so that he was three meters away from the enraged, blond-haired boy. "Calm down! Just let me talk for a second!"

"Let you talk?!" Roxas yelled. "This isn't court, Hayner!"

"Just a second, please, listen!" Hayner pleaded.

Roxas stopped, even though a voice inside him was yelling at him to not give him a chance—to just beat the crap out of him, let him die right there if he had to. But no, he stopped. Not for Hayner's sake, but for his pounding heart and the pain tearing at his lungs.

"You have no idea what it was like when you left, Roxas," Hayner stated slowly, obviously choosing each word with caution. "It was…not easy. You know how Naminé gets when she's upset…It was a nightmare."

Hayner seemed to pause, clearly thinking of how he should say the next thing—make it easier for Roxas to hear. But it was beyond that. After he was done talking, there was no saving him, no way.

"Naminé wanted us—Pence and I—to be with her _all the time_. Sometimes I'd get phone calls from her at two in the morning. She was worried, always thinking about you…me and Pence didn't have a moment of peace."

He took a deep intake of breath.

"Well, the more time I spent with her, it seemed to get easier for both her and me. Sometimes, even it was just for two minutes, she would stop talking about you. I hoped, maybe, she was getting better. Moving on. You know."

"Meaning moving on to you," Roxas said dryly.

"No, actually, I was worried. After awhile I'd developed a little…well…_liking_ to Naminé, I guess you could say…"

He stopped at Roxas's glare.

"But I thought it was natural!" he cried defensively. "I thought, possibly, because she'd been my friend for so long, I was bound to get attached to her…not like…like what you had with her…"

"_Had?_"

"I meant have! Sorry, slip of the tongue! Heh, heh…"

Hayner gulped at Roxas's expression, which was, currently, stone cold.

"Well, Naminé started to separate from Pence and started talking to me more…I thought more than healthy…But when she was with me, she didn't talk about you. It wasn't 'Roxas, Roxas, Roxas' all the time. Suddenly it was what was on TV last night, the new shop that opened in the mall, whatever."

"So you thought that this was your big chance?" Roxas snapped. "When she stopped talking about me, all of a sudden you could move onto her?"

"Sorry to rain on your little 'Hayner is the cause of everything' parade, but _she_ moved onto _me_," Hayner replied.

At this back sass Roxas could feel anger racing through his veins. He seized Hayner by the shoulder and pushed him into a wall.

"_Liar." _

It was quiet, yet threatening—almost like a snake hissing.

"You're just angry because I gave her everything, and you gave her nothing."

Hayner said it in the teasing manner he used when they were kids and Roxas had just lost in a game of hide-and-seek. Roxas half-expected him to stick out his tongue.

"Shut up, Hayner!" Roxas had never been very good at insulting people.

"Why should I? What's the point? You're already mad as hell at me! I might as well have some say!"

"You don't have much to say, do you?" Roxas snapped. "Because you know Naminé went for you _second_! Because I was there for her _first_! You're just the person who was closest at the time! You were just _convenient_! You're like her anti-depression drug!"

Roxas was suddenly kicked back as Hayner's shoe connected with his stomach. He found himself lying on the floor, dazed, Hayner hovering over him.

"Shut up, you don't know anything!" Hayner shouted.

"I know a lot more than _you_ do!"

Hayner picked him up and shoved him into a wall.

"No, you don't! I _love_ her, Roxas! You treat her like dirt, like she's nothing but gum on your shoe…"

Another curse word escaped Roxas's lips. Like Hayner knew anything about what he felt. Hayner didn't know his boundaries. He knew nothing about what _real_ love was like. Nothing.

Another slam echoed through the air as Hayner was once again pressed up against a wall.

"That's not love! That's betrayal! That's desperation! She doesn't love you, Hayner! If she actually loved you, she would've realized it a _long_ time ago!"

"Hayner, are you home?" a soft voice asked from the foyer. "The door's open…"

Roxas was alarmed. What would this person think if they saw this whole scene playing out? Hayner, however, didn't seem to hear.

"SHUT UP!!"

He pushed Roxas sideways into the opposite wall. Roxas screamed out in pain as his broken arm hit it hard. He collapsed. Everything was blurry. Was he crying? He hoped not.

"_Roxas!"_

The same voice that had spoken in the foyer rang in his ears. But it was shriller, panicked. How bad did he look?

"What the heck is your problem?!" a higher voice was screaming.

"Roxas, can you hear me? Roxas?" the voice was speaking to him at what felt like a distance.

Roxas nodded, words catching in his throat. Even the slight gesture seemed to rattle his brain—pain seared through him. He took a deep intake of breath. And suddenly he smelled it. Oranges. At the scent he could picture a girl with bright, green eyes and dark, wavy brown hair tied into braids.

"Olette?" he muttered. "Is that you?"

"Y-Yeah," she replied shakily. "Can you stand?"

"I…"

He cringed as another sear of pain flashed through his head.

"I…"

Even the already blurry picture in front of him was darkening.

"Roxas? Roxas! Can you hear me? Rox…"

His eyelids closed unwillingly and he could hear the voices growing distant until he couldn't hear them at all.

**222**

Colorful dots broke through the darkness behind Roxas's eyelids as sunlight pierced them. His eyelids trembled before they finally allowed themselves to open. He blinked a few times to get the colored splotches to stop obscuring his vision. As he looked around, he realized he was on a bed in a room covered with posters, blue walls surrounding him. He was in his bedroom.

"Roxas!"

A voice greeted him instantly. He looked up to see a pair of emerald eyes lock with his blue ones. Olette looked worried, more worried than Roxas had ever seen her. There were trails of once cried tears on her cheeks, and even now her eyes seemed to be glinting wetly.

"Are you okay?" she asked nervously. "Your arm…"

Roxas looked at his right arm, which had been released from its cast and was lying, numb, on the mattress. The scar from the basketball net was dark now, but everything surrounding it was covered in a brown bruise.

After many long moments of silence, Olette burst into tears and hugged him tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Roxas!" she sobbed. "If I had told you earlier, this wouldn't have happened! I don't know what I was thinking, I'm sorry…"

"It's…okay, Olette," Roxas said, patting her awkwardly on the back with his good hand.

"I'm sorry. I'm acting like an idiot…"

She sat up and wiped her eyes.

"I just thought…if I told you about Naminé…it would break your heart. I don't know. I know that's stupid and there's no excuse…"

Roxas felt relieved. So _that_ was the reason.

"It's alright. I understand."

He looked around.

"Where's Hayner?" he asked, pretending to sound worried.

Truth be told, he hoped the boy was dying somewhere.

"He's at his house, steaming," Olette replied. "Selphie's trying to talk some sense into him, but so far no luck."

"Don't expect to get very far. Hayner's got a head made of stone."

Olette let out a giggle. Roxas felt comfortable with her there, instead of wanting to yell and scream as he did the day before. He glared at his hands, thinking.

"Olette, what am I going to do?"

Olette's eyes softened as she looked at him.

"I don't know," she replied in a whisper.

His eyes were fastened on her, pleading inwardly that she had some sort of idea—any idea at all. But she didn't say anything else, but appeared to be thinking.

"I love Naminé, but…but…"

His words seemed to leave him. He didn't understand the reason he did not want this relationship to last. He could hear Hayner's voice echoing through his head…

"_I __**love**__ her, Roxas!" _

He let out a heavy sigh, his gaze once again falling to his entwined fingers, thinking. He didn't know why, especially after what Hayner did, but he wanted Hayner to be happy. Perhaps Naminé _did_ prefer him, like Hayner said. If this was the truth, Roxas didn't want to be an obstacle.

But he loved Naminé, he did, so painstakingly much. He missed her everyday when she wasn't beside him. He'd known her—loved her—for as long as he could remember. How could he just give her up?

A pair of petite, pale hands wrapped over his. He looked up at Olette, who had a comforting smile on her lips.

"You'll think of something, Roxas, I know you will," she said. "You've just got to listen to your heart."

She gave him a hug and he hugged her back, breathing in that scent of oranges that was growing more familiar by the second.

"What shampoo do you use?" he asked.

The question had escaped him before he could stop himself. Olette looked plainly surprised as she pulled away. Well, it _was_ a strange question.

"Citrus Breeze," she replied, bewildered. "Why?"

"Keep using it," was all Roxas said before smiling.

Olette laughed and nodded before getting up to leave.

_What if eye for an eye?_

**Okay, so it is an absolutely GORGEOUS evening outside, so I had this overwhelming feeling to finish this chapter with a cozy ending, because…well…the atmosphere seemed perfect! **

**Right, review time!**

**Muffin: Favorite? Aw…you flatter me! Lol. I've never read Homerun. I'll read it soon, though, from what I've heard! It's hard to pick out the extremely good writing from the ludicrous amount of stories for Kingdom Hearts. The White Witch of the…East? South? Something? Sorry, I reviewed all your latest stories, I haven't been reading lately.**

**Midnight Hikari: Here's your update!**

**Keyblade Master of Promise: Does he? This is a lesson for all of mankind. Thanks!**

**Zestychicken2: Don't worry, Olette's all better. (Gasps at the language bleeps.) Let's not be hasty here! There's a lesson to learn from all this…I think. I'll try to update faster, but it's kind of hard for some reason. Thanks!!**

**Twighlight's Desire: Yes, I would be mad too. That's true, but still, he's his best friend. So…yeah.**

**Lunar Roxas: Thanks! It is unavoidable, but to be fair, he has an excuse. **

**Jcola0823: Thanks so much!**

**Bexmar: I know, I made Naminé EVIL!! Heh, heh. Lol, I understand. I like Roxette more than Roxiné, truth be told. Still, I like the idea, because it's representing Sora and Kairi, so yeah. Not exactly…well, HMTMKMKM didn't have much of a plot either, now that I think about it…I guess I'm winging it. Oh well. I'll think of something. Bye!**

**Akire-Otos: Thanks! (Frightened face) I updated, DON'T HURT ME! Don't worry, I won't send the police on you. Thanks!**

**Tooba-Chan: Um…today? Which is Sunday, April 20, 2008! **

**x: Thanks! Yay for being favorited!**

**Okay, guys, gonna go relax now. This evening's too lovely to pass up!**

**Read and review!**

**Ciao!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Roxas, Olette, Hayner, etc.**

**Author's Note: Okay, Chapter 10 is finally here! I'm now officially reading **_**Homerun**_** thanks to the Muffin's brilliant suggestion, and it's a really great Roxette!**

**Warning: Doppelgangers are suggested in this chapter.**

**Quick Author Babble: "Hit me and I'll hit you back" is my new saying!**

Chapter 10: The Plan

_Roxas, Roxas, Roxas. _

The name echoed in Olette's head over and over again, and each time it sounded better and better. There was just something about it that made her want to break out into song, skip instead of walk. She was so happy. She didn't want to say it out loud, but she was positively ecstatic at the thought of Roxas finally having doubts about his relationship with Naminé. All she needed to hear from him now were the words "I ended it". That's all she needed to complete her day, her week, her month, her year!

Olette stopped midway through her skip. What was this feeling? Could it be the word she despised so much? "Smitten"?

Olette tapped her cheek then shook her head. Nah. She didn't _love_ Roxas or anything. It just made her happy that he was breaking up with that witch, which he desperately needed. She didn't deserve him. No way.

But Roxas wasn't the type to do such a thing. No, she thought almost irritated, he certainly wasn't. He needed convincing. But she'd done all she could. Then the only other person to talk to was Naminé.

But how could she? It would be like talking with the enemy. They might as well have tea and cookies while they're at it. But Olette was determined. This had to end, and if Roxas couldn't do it, she would. She'd been thinking about it all night, ever since she'd gone home from Roxas's house.

She walked along the sidewalk, her emotions tugging at her heartstrings. And suddenly she couldn't.

Her eyes grew wide at the brown-eyed boy approaching her. Hayner. Oh, crap. Her grasp suddenly tightening around her orange purse, she turned to the side and leaped with impressive agility into the raised garden running along the sidewalk. Clambering up the dark brown soil and rushing past trees, she refused to stop, even though her lungs begged her to.

"Olette? I know that's you!"

_I can't let him see me! He'll kill me!_

The melodic name "Roxas" disappeared from her head and was replaced with horrifying thoughts of Hayner catching up and her crashing to the ground.

"Olette? Olette!" Hayner's voice continued.

"Aaahh!" Olette silently screamed, clambering up the hill and finally reaching the flat surface, nearly collapsing from exhaustion.

"Olette! I know you're here somewhere!"

Her emerald eyes widened at the voice. He was near. His voice was no longer echoing but so close she could hear him clearly. She staggered back onto her feet, her legs wobbly and her lungs burning. But she couldn't stop. He wasn't stopping.

She looked around. The garden led to either a parking lot or a forest. Deciding quickly, Olette raced into the forest, twigs hidden by the snow cracking under each step she took.

She would avoid Hayner no matter what. She didn't have time to be questioned or slapped, or felt like it much either. She had to talk to Naminé. She had to end it all and end up drinking a mug of cocoa with Selphie at home. Maybe, if she lost him in the forest, it was possible.

But the forest was not that big. It just looked bigger because of the many trees it contained. She heard children playing hide-and-seek behind the trees, concealed behind the mounds of snow that Olette's footprints sliced through.

Olette finally ended up at a clearing. It was rather nice, actually, a circle of trees surrounding it and a lone, pearly white gazebo sitting in the middle. Little green leaves barely showed underneath the whiteness, showing that in the spring there were flowers surrounding it as well.

Olette was exhausted and thirsty. She hoped, maybe, that when and if Hayner came here, he would not think she would be sitting in the gazebo, but instead safely home already, laughing at his defeat. Yeah, hopefully—there was nowhere else to run, and if there was, she would not have the energy to go there.

She staggered into the gazebo, literally collapsing into the gazebo when she reached it. Gasping for air, her breath showing in the cold air, the closed her eyes and hoped against hope that Hayner would've given up by now, admitted his loss and went home. If he even came into the clearing, she would be too tired to open her eyes, let alone get up and run.

And suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Letting out a loud shriek that pierced the air and nearly shook the trees, Olette pulled her arms up over her face.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she cried. "I couldn't keep it in any longer! It was eating me alive! I…"

"Olette?"

A voice that was clearly _not_ Hayner's spoke, and Olette let her arms fall to the wood floor of the gazebo. Bemused, she turned her head to look, wide-eyed, into two, perfect, azure eyes.

"Roxas?" her voice came out like a whisper, probably because she couldn't manage speaking normally as she had worn out her voice because of all the screaming.

The blond-haired boy stood on the other side of the gazebo, his arm, still released from the cast, hanging rather uselessly and wounded, looking at her with a mixed expression of worry and bewilderment.

"Sorry for yelling," she apologized. "It's just…Hayner was chasing me…"

"Hayner?" repeated Roxas, looking around, already looking enraged. "Where is he?"

"Hopefully in the parking lot," Olette muttered, suddenly scowling. "I didn't feel like being blamed."

"I don't blame you," Roxas snorted, eyes still searching for a blond buzz cut.

Olette rubbed her arms. Now that she had stopped running, freezing wind hit her like a hammer. But she didn't feel like getting up and walking to her heated home. She was sure if she attempted to get up, she'd simply collapse again.

"Why are you here?" Olette asked to take her mind off the cold.

"What do you mean?" Roxas replied, confused.

"I mean, why are you here, in this gazebo?" Olette questioned.

"Well, I found it a long time ago, when I was little," Roxas answered, turning his back to her and leaning on the railing. "It was nice and quiet, so I come here to think."

"Am I disturbing your thinking?"

"Maybe a little."

They laughed. Another gust of icy wind hit Olette's neck. She willed herself to stand up, but her body refused. Olette groaned as she curled up her knees and wrapped herself up into a ball.

"Are you okay?" Roxas asked, sounding worried.

"A little sore, but I'll be fine," Olette replied, avoiding telling Roxas she was horribly out of shape. "It's really cold out here though. I swear, soon I'm going to be an Olette-sicle!"

She laughed at her own joke. Roxas, on the other hand, did not.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" he asked.

"Uh…what I mean by 'a little sore' is…I can't move," she finished awkwardly, brushing a strand of brown hair from her face. "Funny thing, eh?"

Another gust of wind came. Olette swore she could see icicles cascading from her braids. She hated winter, oh, so much. The holidays were the only things good about it, really. Roxas sat down beside her with a comforting smile.

"You need more exercise," he smirked.

"Oh, shut it…huh?" Olette paused and her once nearly blue face turned a bright shade of red.

Roxas had put his arms around her, his body heat sharing with hers.

"There, better?" he asked softly.

"I…er…uh…"

Olette couldn't get her tongue to form complete words. She indeed was better, but she couldn't tell what was fueling her heat—her embarrassment or Roxas. And the song that had been playing in her head only moments before presented itself again.

_Roxas, Roxas, Roxas._

"Yeah," she murmured, turning redder still.

She was _not_ smitten. She was _not_ in love with Roxas. She kept telling herself that even though she couldn't gather any evidence to place behind it.

And besides which, Roxas was definitely _not_ in love with her. She'd just been complaining about the cold. The most likely possibility is that he got fed up with all the complaints.

"Roxas, you said this was your thinking spot, right?" she asked.

"Yeah," Roxas replied. "Nice and quiet. Well, until you came here, anyway."

Olette mock hit him, but Roxas didn't seem to notice. He was laughing.

"Were you…thinking about Naminé?"

The question escaped her lips before she could register it. Roxas did not reply. But Olette didn't need an answer. She could already tell.

"You can't let it continue, Roxas," Olette said, suddenly becoming dead serious. "Think about what Naminé has done!"

"I know, I know!" Roxas exclaimed suddenly.

His grip around her tightened. He let out a sigh.

"I know."

Roxas's head collapsed onto her shoulder, almost defeated. Olette rested hers on top of his, trying to muster some comforting words. But what could she say?

"_Hypocrite." _

The word pierced the cold air. Olette thought it came from her for a second, but then realized it was someone else.

Hayner had stepped into the clearing, chocolate eyes blazing, finger pointed accusingly at the pair.

"I knew there was something between you and Olette!" he snapped. "I knew it!"

Olette could feel her jaw drop almost comically. Roxas leapt up in a second. Olette forced herself to stagger to her feet.

"You can blame me for doing such a thing, but you…you're an exception?!" Hayner flamed. "Is that just the way it is?!"

"No!" Olette cried instantaneously. "Hayner, you're making a mistake, we're…"

"Totally together!" exclaimed Roxas, grabbing Olette and pulling her into an almost bone-crushing hug.

"What?!" cried Olette.

"That's right, Olette!" Roxas continued through his fake, toothy smile. "Living happily together, that's us!"

Olette threw him a nasty look at this remark. She didn't know what was going on, but she could guarantee she was being used.

"So you're cheating on Naminé?!" Hayner yelled, outraged, ignoring the look of extreme discomfort on Olette's face.

"Not cheating, my dear friend," Roxas stated matter-of-factly. "You've already done that. Therefore, I could assume I am free, and sweet, little Olette always had a thing for me. Didn't you, Ollie?"

Olette grimaced at the nickname that she only permitted Selphie to use. When she didn't say anything, Roxas took hold of one her braids and pulled them up and down, making Olette nod.

"Hmm…Naminé's still not going to be happy about this…" Hayner remarked, a mischievous smile coming onto his face. "But you have your lying face on, Roxas, and Olette's remaining stonily silent. Plus, you two, together? You guys are like total opposites. Maybe I was wrong and jumped to conclusions…"

Before Olette even knew what was happening, Roxas had dived down and forced their lips together. Olette started frantically waving her arms around, panicked, and didn't really have any intention to "feel the moment". Roxas separated himself from her and glared at Hayner.

"Is that enough proof for you?" he snapped, even though Hayner's look of shock said it all. "Now go tell Naminé the good news."

"That's what I intend to do!" Hayner chirped, oddly happy, probably thinking he'd get brownie points for his find.

And without another word, he raced off.

When he was completely gone from view, Olette turned to Roxas and slapped him with all the strength she could muster and stumbled out of the gazebo. Her body ached and she was freezing, but she didn't care. She wasn't sticking around there to get an unsatisfactory explanation for what had just happened. It was hard for Olette to even believe she had been melting in his arms earlier. She stormed off into the woods.

How dare he, steal a kiss from her, just for whatever twisted purpose he had in mind? She didn't feel like reasoning. She felt like stomping his head into the ground.

"Olette! Olette, wait!"

Roxas ran up to her, since he unluckily had loads more energy than her. Olette kept walking.

"Olette, please, I'm sorry!" he cried, his hand latching onto her wrist and pulling her back.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled, tearing away from him. "So what? We're together now, _Roxie_?"

"Alright, okay, I know I lied…" Roxas admitted. "And I know I called you Ollie, but that was just an impulse…"

"YOU KISSED ME!" she shrieked, flaring at his calmness.

"I know that was wrong, but there was no other way!" Roxas exclaimed. "Besides, it wasn't like it was your first kiss or anything…"

Olette crossed her arms and turned her back on him.

"Oh my god…" Roxas breathed. "It _was_ your first kiss!"

He reached up and scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Jeez, I'm sorry…" he murmured.

"That…" Olette stuttered, then flipped around, one of her braids slapping the side of Roxas's face, "that's beside the point! _Why'd_ you do it?"

"I didn't want to break up with Naminé," Roxas said. "It'd be messy. I figured, if Hayner did it for me, I wouldn't have to do anything…"

"So you're a coward!" Olette snapped.

"Yeah, probably…" Roxas said, laughing nervously. "And also, I wanted to make her…"

He seemed to stop to reconsider his words.

"Jealous?" Olette hissed.

"Well…y-yeah…" Roxas stuttered.

"You make me sick!" she yelled in his face, whizzing back around and stomping through the snow, face flushed with fury.

Before completely disappearing through the trees, she turned to look at the blond-haired boy.

"Next time you want to use me, try asking first!" she yelled, and exited the forest leaving Roxas dumbfounded in the snow.

**222**

"_Honestly?"_

"Really."

"_Truly?" _

"Absolutely."

"_Positively?"_

"No doubt about it."

Selphie's jaw dropped. The lime-eyed girl couldn't seem to wrap her brain around what her best friend just told her. Olette gingerly took another sip of her hot chocolate, her brain also whirling around what had happened earlier that day.

"Are you sure it was Roxas?" Selphie asked. "Not his doppelganger?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Selph," Olette replied. "There's no such thing as doppelgangers."

"Yeah, but I can't believe…I mean…_Roxas_…" Selphie continued, bemused. "That boy is as sweet as honey!"

Olette, in spite of herself, laughed. Selphie tended to use odd metaphors.

"Well, there's a side of him I wasn't aware of," she stated. "And to be truly honest, I don't really like it."

"But, Ollie, you've got to look at it in his point of view!" Selphie urged. "I mean, that boy, he honestly wouldn't be able to break up with anyone by himself. And it was a matter of pride!"

"No, it wasn't!" Olette snapped. "He wanted to make Naminé jealous so she'd come back to her! That was the only reason!"

"Maybe he wasn't thinking right…"

"Why are you so determined to defend him, Selph? He's a lying scumbag."

Selphie looked into her mug of hot chocolate, looking rather sheepish.

"Well, to be honest, I always thought you and Roxas would make a cute couple," she admitted, then looked up at Olette, beaming. "I always pictured you as Mrs. Roxas Hera!"

"Selph, please," Olette muttered, rolling her eyes, faking nausea. "Keep your fantasies to yourself."

"Well, you asked!"

There was a moment of silence, and then Selphie was suddenly ecstatic again.

"So, is he a good kisser?" she asked, bouncing up and down on the sofa.

"You know, surprisingly, I wasn't paying attention to the kissing, more of the panic threatening to eat me alive," Olette remarked sarcastically.

"I was just asking because he looks like a good kisser."

"Shut up, Selph."

_What if I saw your wicked plan?_

**Muffin: I'm starting to read Homerun now, and I really like it! Sorry. Yeah, I found that and cringed. And you are not a grammar nazi.**

**Akire-Otos: Yes, way more intense. Oh, yes, I might have attempted calling 911 once…Thanks! **

**Midnight Hikari: Thanks and here's your update!**

**Jcola0823: Lol, a band-aid. Thanks!**

**Twighlight's Desire: Yup, that's what happened! Thanks!**

**Keyblade Master of Promise: Yeah, I know. But I've got to take it easy on Hayner because, personally, I don't mind him and I don't find him that irritating in the game—personally I find Seifer the most annoying. He needs way better clothes. Thanks!**

**Lunar Roxas: Lol. Vanilla, orange, they're all the same. Thanks!**

**Cheychey41: Thanks! I love Roxette too!**

**Bexmar: Yes, that happens to me so much. FACT: Did you know that in my last chapter, I had to rewrite it three times because my computer refused to save it? It's the sad, sad truth. And aggravating. And that's why it took so long. Yes, perhaps. No, I really appreciate it, thanks so much!**

**Blz1990: Sheesh, impatient! Just kidding! Here's your update!**

**Okay, so slight fluff in this chapter, slight vengeance, slight stupidity. You know, my three favorite categories besides character death. Now you all probably think I'm insane, but I'm sure my Sokai readers will vouch for me. **

**Anyway, thank you very much for all the excellent reviews I received, and I accept to get just as many—or more—this time. (Darkened look) **

**Read and review!**

**Sayanora!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (II), Roxas, Olette, Naminé, etc.**

**Author's Note: Well, I got (starts counting on fingers) **_**twelve**_** reviews for my last chapter! That is really great! No seriously, don't stop the reviews! I LOVE them! And when I LOVE something, I get inspired. And when I get INSPIRED I post more chapters. You see where this is going, right? **

**Warning: Who knows? Oh, wait...(checks through chapter) flaming Kairi! Bring a bucket of water in case of third degree burns!**

**Quick Author Babble: My exams went GREAT...except for geography and science. Have I mentioned how much I hate those?**

Chapter 11: Weaknesses

Roxas didn't know what to think, exactly. He didn't know what he had been thinking when he kissed Olette. Chances were he wasn't thinking at all. And he couldn't think now, because he was trying too hard to think about what to think. Time to backtrack, he thought, and go over what he'd already done—he'd mindlessly beaten up Hayner, pretended he and Olette were dating, fake-kissed Olette, got slapped by Olette, and by now Hayner was probably dancing off to Naminé's house to tell her about his fake relationship with the green-eyed girl.

He slapped his forehead. _What had he been thinking?_

He knew, at the time, he thought if Hayner were to think he'd found someone else and told Naminé, it would save him the burden of breaking up with her. He'd also thought that Naminé would get jealous and realize Roxas was her only love, come prancing back through a field of flowers, leaving backstabbing Hayner in her dust. And what had he done for that? He'd lost one of his closest friends to his jealousy, his hatred, and his cowardice. She probably thought he was an uncaring jerk. She had reason to.

Roxas had taken her first kiss—wasted it on a lie. He knew Olette deserved so much better, but he didn't know how to apologize without her totally ignoring him. He considered telling Selphie, but then again she'd probably be enraged by what he did. She didn't seem like the girl who would let go of something as important as someone hurting her best friend, and would probably back Olette up one hundred percent. If he even found a chance to talk to her, she'd probably just kick him in the shin.

Roxas didn't know what to do. He'd lost two of his best friends in mere days. He had to stop it before he lost anyone else. But what was the core of the problem?

He felt a chill go down his back and gulped. He realized too late that Naminé was the cause of all this fighting. That blonde-haired girl, as sweet as she appeared to be, had a whole other side to her. Olette absolutely despised her, and probably hated her even more when she realized she had been cheating on Roxas. And if what Hayner said was true, then she was the one who acted upon her and Hayner's affair in the first place.

Roxas hadn't even thought about talking to Naminé the past few days. He had been too absorbed in himself, too enraged to think of confronting her, not even to break up. But now he saw what he had to do, and the confidence he had in his decision made him feel worried.

**xXx**

The bitterness of winter stung whatever piece of skin was revealed. Roxas could feel himself turning blue. He'd marched right outside as soon as he had gotten the chance, but his feet seemed to be moving on their own accord. Roxas was willing himself to go back, to not put him through this, but his body did not listen and kept walking in the direction towards Naminé's house.

When he started strolling up the flower-covered walkway, now peeping through the snow, he was in a panic. What if Hayner was there? What was he going to say? What would Naminé do?

Roxas rang the doorbell. He rarely ever rang the doorbell to go into Naminé's house. They'd been so close for so long that they just welcomed themselves into each other's houses. However, he did it today because he didn't feel he was as welcome here as he was a week ago, but mostly to buy himself time to think and calm himself down.

It bought him about three seconds. Roxas was still doing the "breathe in, breathe out" exercise when Naminé answered the door. He stood there, frozen. Naminé appeared to be just as shocked. After a moment or so of standing and looking dumbly at each other, Naminé managed to gather herself and glare at him.

"What are you doing here, Roxas?" she asked very directly, not even starting off their conversation with a simple "hello."

"We need to talk," Roxas replied, trying to sound just as serious as Naminé was, but he was so nervous he was sweating even in the below freezing temperatures.

"I don't want to talk," Naminé remarked sullenly, sounding very much like a sulky, little child who'd just been scammed out of a lollipop.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice this time."

Roxas surprised himself with how sturdy his voice sounded. Naminé looked just as shocked. Looking very uncertain, she moved aside as he swept in.

"Why are you here?" Naminé asked. "Won't _Olette_ be mad?"

The name "Olette" seemed to slip off her tongue in an I'm-going-to-be-sick manner. Roxas admitted he bubbled just a little at that. Olette had done nothing wrong. If anyone were guilty, they were the two blond people talking to each other right then.

"No," Roxas answered truthfully. "If anything, Olette would be proud."

He smiled just a bit at that. At least Roxas had done one good thing for the brunette girl. Naminé, however, looked plain, flat out confused.

"I think we should sit down," Roxas sighed. "This is going to take awhile."

Roxas entered the living room that he knew so well. Naminé reluctantly followed. He plopped down in a chair. Naminé carefully took the farthest seat away from him.

"You cheated on me," he said bluntly, a second after she sat down, "with Hayner."

He inhaled deeply and watched Naminé's face carefully, wanting to see her reaction as he said the next few words.

"My best friend who would never do anything to hurt me unless he was obliged to. My best friend who would never lie to me unless he was told to by someone he cared for more than me."

Naminé's glassy eyes were widening with every word he said. Her pale face was frozen.

"He told me…you were the one to act upon him first," Roxas continued in the same, neutral voice. "That you led him into the relationship you now share."

"Roxas…" Naminé began, ready to argue against it, but Roxas gave her a stare that silenced her.

He didn't want to hear any more false stories, especially from her, the queen of deceit. For once, he wanted to talk and her to listen.

"I'm sorry to tell you your effects worked a little too well," he said, his voice getting a little irritable. "It's not the fling you hoped it was. Hayner's in love with you. He told me himself."

Naminé turned white as a sheet at the news, but she didn't dare speak again.

"What? You can't tell me you weren't expecting it? Do you have any idea how seductive you can be, Naminé? How deceiving?"

He hated how his voice was cracking. He took a moment to close his eyes and clear his throat from any overemotional build-up. If there was anything Roxas wasn't, it was emotional. It was the perfect time for Naminé to speak, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything, as she was wiping tears off her cheeks.

"I also came here to say…" Roxas continued, his voice once again solid, "me and Olette aren't dating. In fact, anything Hayner told you he saw us doing was a façade and totally against Olette's will."

Roxas decided not to mention the hugging was indeed very real. He decided it wasn't the time, if there ever _was_ a time.

"But…why?" Naminé choked, finally finding her voice.

"Because," Roxas muttered, "I'm an idiot. I'm stupid, cowardly, and jealous. I thought maybe I wouldn't have to break up with you this way, and if not, you'd be jealous and come back…"

"Oh, Roxas…" Naminé said, looking like she was about to break into tears again.

"You're my weakness, Naminé," he sighed. "I love you, and I'm always going to love you, and neither of us can do anything about it."

His eyelids lowered, masking the wetness in his eyes.

"But this is wrong," he continued. "I can't do this and pretend everything's alright. My best friend has feelings for you. You're cheating on me. I've lost two friends in the past week. I just can't do this anymore, Naminé!"

Roxas hadn't meant for his voice to rise, but it did on its own. He looked at Naminé, trying to detect any emotion, and got far too much for comfort. Tears were leaking down her face. But of course, what was she supposed to do? Jump up and cheer?

"Well, that's all I wanted to say," he remarked after a long moment of silence. "I'd better be going."

He stood up and made his way to the door. He put his hand on the doorknob and felt a weird sensation come over him—he suddenly had this feeling it would be the last time he opened Naminé's door, the last time he'd be in her house. It wasn't a good feeling. He felt sort of empty and confused.

"Roxas, wait!" Naminé cried, suddenly racing into the foyer, golden locks flying around her in a rush.

She ran right up to him, blocking the door, from him leaving.

"So that's it?" she gasped. "It's over?"

"Yup." Roxas said the worst possible word to show emotion. "Make Hayner happy for me."

He felt hollow when he said that, but both he and Naminé knew he was being as honest as ever. This was the way it was supposed to be. Naminé stood there stubbornly for a second, still blocking the door, until finally she released a defeated sigh and moved out of the way.

Roxas promptly entered into the winter wonderland, relieved it was over, that it had all been said and done. He took a couple of strides down the walkway, still feeling battered and confused, his happiness and relief slowly fading, going down the drain. He was alone now. There would be no more letters that made him grin ecstatically. There'd be no more melodic laughter in his ears. Nothing.

"Roxas!"

Naminé called his name yet again, her voice echoing through the quiet, snowy street. Roxas turned to see her on her porch, clinging to the railing and peering at him.

"Make Olette happy for me too!" she cried.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she was gone, running back into the house, perhaps in tears. Roxas stood there for a long moment, mouth hanging open bizarrely. What was _that_ supposed to mean? Hadn't he just explained everything was fake? Besides the hug, of course. Was Naminé really that dense? He felt like he was back in Hayner's house again, Roxas wondering how long Hayner had been such an idiot.

He gave one, fleeting glance to the flowery house before disappearing down the street.

**xXx**

"Roxas!"

Kairi yelped in surprise as she saw Roxas skulking down the street, looking beaten and miserable. Roxas hadn't seen her in forever. He'd been too busy hating his life to visit her or Sora.

"Hi, Kairi," Roxas murmured.

He felt sort of guilty at the stare Kairi was giving him—the where-in-the-world-have-you-been stare.

"Sorry I haven't talked to you in a while," he apologized quickly. "I haven't found the time."

"How could you not the find time?" Kairi snapped, suddenly fiery. "This is where _you_ live, for Pete's sake, and Sora and I have only been at Selphie's house, a street down from yours!"

"I know, I'm sorry, it's complicated!" Roxas's words were falling over each other.

"Really?" asked Kairi, crossing her arms. "Tell me what happened then."

Her eyes were screaming death. A red gleam passed over them for a second.

"I broke up with Naminé."

"But...but...why?"

Kairi's violet eyes were boring into him, eating him alive. He'd forgotten that Kairi didn't know what happened, or even Sora for that matter. They were sort of on the sidelines, too busy with whatever else they do to really pay attention.

Roxas didn't really feel like explaining. Instead he simply looked up at her.

"Do you know where Olette is?" he asked.

Kairi glared at him piercingly, but it only lasted a second when she released a soft sigh.

"I don't know."

Roxas looked down at the ground, disappointed that Kairi didn't know anything. He looked up at Kairi accusingly, wanting to put the blame on somebody else.

"Well, how do you expect me to know?!" Kairi yelled venomously. "The only people who've been talking to me are Sora and Selphie, while you and Olette are off in your own little world with Hayner and Naminé!"

Roxas wasn't sure what to say to that. He'd be pretty mad too if everyone was ignoring him. Of course, Kairi must've survived. Sora wasn't one to not talk.

"Hey, what's with all the yelling?"

Speaking of the devil, the brunet boy came walking up right then, holding two coffee cups from the local Starbucks. He had this look of confusion yet peace with the world, and his eyes were on Kairi. He handed her one of the coffee cups with a jovial laugh.

"I know you're getting lonely, Kairi, but _yelling _at yourself..." Sora said, handing her a coffee cup with a teasing grin—a bold move, considering Kairi was rather murderous right then. "Don't you think you're getting a little...huh?"

Sora suddenly noticed the blond boy standing beside Kairi. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Hi," Roxas said with an awkward wave, hoping desperately that Sora wasn't going to yell at him like Kairi did.

"Roxas?"

Sora blinked a couple of times as if trying to wipe the shock away from his face. Then it vanished and was replaced with a welcoming smile.

"Well, _that_ makes more sense," he said, nudging Kairi. "I thought you were going a little insane there for a moment, Kai. You should've told me you were planning on talking to us today, Roxas, or I would've gotten you a coffee."

He had a slightly mocking tone, but it was _way_ better than Kairi's response.

"DON'T YOU GO BEING NICE TO HIM!!" Kairi flamed, pointing a finger accusingly at Sora. "HE MIGHT AS WELL HAVE VANISHED FROM EXISTENCE THIS PAST WEEK!!"

"Hmm..." Sora considered this statement as if Kairi had been talking in a calm manner. "Kairi's right. Where've you been, Roxas?"

"You know, around," Roxas replied with a shrug.

"AROUND WHERE WE WEREN'T!!" Kairi screeched.

"I'm _sorry_, I'm _sorry_! How many times do I have to say it?"

"You don't have to apologize, Roxas," Sora remarked.

"YES, HE DOES!!"

"No, he _doesn't_."

Sora threw a very serious look to Kairi, something that Roxas would never think he'd build up the courage to do.

"Roxas grew up here. He has a lot of catching up to do. He sees us everyday at TU. Think about it rationally."

Whoa. "Rationally." Roxas didn't even know Sora knew what that word meant. Was this truly the same Sora that he had insult contests with everyday? Of course, Sora had to have _some_ smarts to get into such a top university.

"_Catching up?!_" Kairi barked. "More like breaking up! Roxas broke up with Naminé today!"

"He what?"

Sora turned to look at him with this sort of vacant shock on his face.

"Don't look at me like I'm the bad guy!" Roxas cried defensively, feeling he was losing Sora from his side of the argument. "It's Naminé's fault! She..."

He caught himself. Did he really want the whole world to know that he was so uninteresting that Naminé cheated on him? That Naminé was disloyal? That Hayner was a horrible best friend? Of course not.

"See? He can't even build anything in his defense!"

"Calm down, Kairi. He's just not ready to talk."

"Or he has nothing to say!"

Roxas was getting slightly irritated with Kairi.

"Can you _please_ get her to shut up?" he snapped at Sora.

Beforehand he would never ask Sora do such a thing for fear of personal safety. But today it seemed they switched roles, and Roxas felt it was safe.

"GET ME TO SHUT UP?! YOU HAVE SOME NERVE!" Kairi screamed.

"Kairi, quiet down..." Sora said softly.

"I AM NOT GOING TO QUIET DOWN! IF YOU THINK I'M GOING TO DO _ANYTHING_ YOU SAY, THEN YOU ARE SADLY MIS..."

Sora gently put a finger to her lips, silencing her and causing her to turn a laughable shade of pink.

"Ssh..."

Sora retreated his arm and Kairi put a hand over her mouth.

"There," he said triumphantly. Roxas pretended not to notice how red he was. "You were saying?"

"Do you know where Olette is?" Roxas asked.

Sora crossed his arms.

"Hmm...my best guess would probably be the park. Olette's been hanging around there a lot lately."

"Great! Thanks!"

Roxas raced off toward the park.

"You okay, Kairi?" Sora's voice could be heard at a distance.

"Fine..." Kairi croaked.

Roxas let out a snigger. He wondered what would've happened if Sora had actually _kissed_ her. Astonishing results, he'd bet.

**xXx**

Roxas entered the park. No one was there, not even children. The only thing that was moving was a single swing, the chain creaking ever so slightly every time it retreated.

Roxas walked over to the swing. What would he say when he saw Olette? He never actually thought about how to apologize.

He saw her. A girl his age swinging ever so slightly in a thoughtful manner. He gulped and took another few steps forward.

"Olette?" he finally managed to say.

The swing stopped rocking. The girl turned to face him, and his blue gaze was met with a lime green one that was definitely not Olette's.

"_Selphie?" _he cried, half-relieved, half-disappointed.

"Roxas?" Selphie said it with less surprise than him, but she still had this look like she was about to get into trouble.

Selphie, unlike Roxas predicted, did not get up and kick him in the shin. Instead she stayed uncharacteristically silent. Roxas did too. Finally, after a long time, Roxas knew that Selphie knew things about Olette that he didn't. Maybe she'd find the best way to apologize. Maybe she'd even tell Olette he was sorry.

"Selphie, how...?" Roxas began, but was immediately cut off.

"She likes marigolds," Selphie said, and she promptly got off the swing and left.

Roxas had half a mind to go after her, but he knew she wouldn't say anything else, and might actually kick him in the shin next time. And at least Selphie had given him a head start.

So Olette liked marigolds, huh?

_What if I need to apologize?_

**Keyblade Master of Promise: Because I love being stupid! It's my favorite thing besides character death. Mwa ha ha. Oh, he's already dug the hole. He's just getting himself lost in it now. **

**Jcola0823: No, the last chapter won't be for awhile. I know, **_**Homerun **_**rocks!**

**Twighlight's Desire: Yay...not really. I would've slapped him **_**and**_** kicked him, but we are two very different people. **

**Muffin: Muffin?! I didn't even recognize it was **_**you**_** for a second! When did you change your name to "shakespeare sonnets."? That's really weird because I had to study Shakespeare for Art's Night. Turned out my puffy-panted friend invented the word "assassination." How cool is that? And I'm glad you enjoyed the fluff! And here's the update!**

**Bexmar: Oh...sorry. Didn't mean for it to collide like that. Stupidity! Yay! Insensitiveness! Double yay! Selphie! Triple yay! And whoa, you'd be quite a best friend. Lol. Yeah, Dark Ambition rocks with Roxettes! (Sort of rhyming)**

**Midnight Hikari: Yes, stupid...and I don't feel much like biting anyone's arm today...(cricket sounds) But thanks!**

**Zestychicken2: (Really bad Shakespearian) Why, I wonder, do people lose themselves in their dread? Thy answer lies before thee. (Normal voice) Quadruple thanks! I updated as soon as possible!**

**Blz1990: Thanks! I love reading ANYTHING well-written! Besides horror, murder, mature, overly romantic, blah, blah, blah...etc. Thanks!**

**Dark Ambition: (Releases uncharacteristically girly squeal) Can't believe you reviewed me!! This is awesome! I feel like Vincent Van Gogh just came up to me and told me what a great artist I am! Or Johnny Depp just congratulated me on how I'm so great at being a pirate! (Just kidding about both, by the way...ESPECIALLY being a pirate.) Haynami happened by accident. I hadn't been planning it until an evil surge ran through me. Mwa, ha, ha...And I love writing Selphie-style! I'm glad you like the characters! Lol, dummy head. Reminds me of "dumb nut". It's a phrase me and my friend Jacob like to use. Anyway, thanks, and **_**Homerun**_** is great! I can't wait for the next update! And no, my story doesn't even compare to yours. Thanks!!**

**Cheychey41: Thanks! It's been awhile since I've written fluff since my Soikai ended, so this is the result. **

**Tooba-Chan: Indeed. **

**Sukuta-san: Wow, thanks! That's really nice...and great! And I'm glad you liked HMTMKMKM! **

**I feel like...like...like I'm soaring through the CLOUDS! I got two reviews that I thought I'd never, ever receive this time—one from the one and only Dark Ambition, and one from Sukuta-san, who barely ever reviews! Yay! I feel like a celebrity! **

**Now all I need is Johnny Depp and my life will be complete.**

**Read and review!**

**Farewell, m'ladies and gentlemen. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (II), Roxas, Olette, Selphie, etc.**

**Author's Note: Whoooeee!! Done already! I feel great! Also, I broke one hundred reviews last chapter. Actually, more like SMASHED TO PIECES! Thanks so much, everybody!**

**Warning: LIKE I'M TELLING YOU ANYTHING.**

**Quick Author Babble: Um…um…um…er…um…**

Chapter 12: First Kiss

Olette perched herself on her windowsill, watching the sun slowly rise up over the small city of Twilight Town. She felt dazed, confused. She felt like she'd just been slapped in the face ten times over. She was hiding from everyone; from Roxas, from Selphie, from her parents, even from her next door neighbour. She didn't know what to do, who to talk to. If Selphie didn't understand, who would?

She thought about Sora and Kairi. They were good friends. She'd been avoiding them a lot lately though, for personal reasons. She'd felt they wouldn't understand. But now she knew she had to tell them. She had no one else to turn to, and they'd never ignore her, unless they were truly mad. Besides, she felt guilty that she hadn't talked to them for so long.

Olette hopped down from the windowsill. It was very early, but maybe that was the best time to find them. This way they wouldn't be wandering about.

Where were they staying again?

Oh, yeah. Selphie's house. Olette's face darkened. This would involve some strategy.

She knew for a fact that Selphie was a late sleeper. If she was careful enough, she could creep into the house without making much noise, sneak into Kairi's room and talk to her about it. Maybe Sora wasn't a very important addition.

Olette walked down the flight of stairs and crossed the kitchen into the foyer.

She was determined. She was ready. She was…

"Huh?"

Surprised.

Olette peered down at her front doorstep. She felt emotions wash over her. She was staring at a whole bouquet of marigolds, her favourite flower of all time. Were they for her? Well, of course they were for her. Who would they be for? Her parents?

Olette snorted at the thought. Her parents barely interacted with anybody. They were too busy with work.

She picked them up gingerly. They were a bright, vibrant mix of gold and orange. Their petals were soft as velvet. They were too beautiful to be true. Maybe it was a little cliché to leave it on her doorstep, but she wasn't complaining.

Olette hurried to get a vase and put some water in, forgetting all about Sora and Kairi. Who could they be from? Selphie was the only person she'd ever confided personal information to, but why would she do that? It didn't seem to make sense.

She carefully placed the marigolds in the vase. Only then did Olette see the note perched between the flowery splashes of orange and gold. She reached in and steadily pulled it back out, carefully avoiding touching the flowers.

The paper was damp from the dew and the water, but the message was easily comprehendible:

_I'm sorry. _

Olette didn't want to believe it, but there was no avoiding it. It was his writing, and who else would be sorry? It had to be Roxas.

But Olette didn't want it to be him. It made hating him harder. It made her life a lot more difficult. It made calling Roxas "a lying scumbag" a bad thing. It made her heart beat faster than it was supposed to. She didn't want it to be this complicated. She wanted it to be simple.

**xXx**

"You told him."

Olette said it in an accusing voice as soon as Selphie opened the door to the pounding. Selphie, on her part, looked genuinely confused.

"Told who what?" she asked.

"Told Roxas I like marigolds," Olette muttered through gritted teeth.

Selphie looked stricken.

"Well…" she stuttered. "I might've let it slip out…"

"_Selphie!" _cried Olette, clutching her head. "How could you?"

"You should've heard him! He was really sorry, Olette, and I knew you wouldn't listen without some sort of act of…"

"You couldn't let me hate him for a second, could you?"

Selphie looked shocked at Olette's harsh words. Her lime green eyes widened.

"What?" she croaked.

"Now it's complicated," Olette explained, realizing she really did sound like an ice queen before. "Before I could hate him. I could ignore him. I could call him mean things with no guilt. And now…now I have to think! What if he does something like this again? What does this friendship mean to me? Do I care if he leaves? Do I want him to stay? I don't know, Selphie! I hate complicated things! I wanted it to be simple, to be done! This always happens with Roxas, and I thought it was finally over!"

"You want all _what_ to be over?" Selphie asked.

Her voice was soft, but it just further irritated Olette because she didn't know the answer. Maybe she just didn't _want_ to know the answer. She didn't want to understand what was happening. Olette didn't want a lot of things.

"I want…I want…" Olette felt the words sneaking up her throat, even though she didn't know what they were. "I want these feelings to _end_! I feel like I'm stuck in a melodrama! Roxas just makes me…makes me…"

Angry? Irritated? Sad? Happy? Calm? No word seemed to fit.

"Different?" Selphie asked calmly.

"Yes," Olette breathed, happy with the neutral word. "Different."

"Different good or different bad?" questioned Selphie.

Olette thought about the question for quite awhile. She had lots of fun times with Roxas. She smiled as she thought of the way they used to joke around. Roxas made her laugh. She was cheerful around him. Of course, she'd also had her share of _bad_ times too. She remembered all the shouting they did. Sometimes he made her want to pull her hair out and scream, and if not that, made her feel so embarrassed she wanted to be invisible.

"Both," Olette concluded.

"Hmm…" Selphie considered the answer, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "I think, maybe, you value him a little more than you do your lust for simplicity."

Olette raised her eyebrows at the impressive sentence Selphie had come up with. It was also a careful sentence. Selphie had expertly inserted "a little" just to make her happy.

"You're right, I guess."

Olette wasn't going to pretend that she didn't have some uncertainty about the whole thing.

"Go," Selphie said, sounding very pushy. "Talk to him…'cause you need to."

Olette forced a smile on her face.

"Where's Sora and Kairi?" she asked worriedly.

She knew she sounded like her mom but she hadn't seen them in a long time and missed them.

"Oh, you know, out and about," Selphie replied coolly. "They never stay in the house more than they have to. I think the reason is they're a little desperate for some time with other human beings besides the people in this house."

Guilt continued to swell in Olette's chest. Selphie noticed the look of anguish on her face and smiled comfortingly.

"Don't worry about them. That's my job. Your job is to talk to Roxas. Now go. GO!"

Selphie literally shoved Olette out the door and slammed the door behind her so there was no way back in.

Since there was nothing else to do, Olette picked up her thoughts and headed in the direction of Roxas's house.

**xXx**

"I'm sorry, dear, he's not home," Mrs. Hera said, looking at Olette apologetically.

"Do you have any idea where he is?" Olette asked desperately.

"No. Roxas doesn't bother to tell us where he goes. He just does. He knows this place like the back of his hand. But you can wait here until he comes back if you want."

"No, but thanks," Olette replied.

She didn't think it was a good idea to wait with his parents otherwise it would seem suspicious and they'll know something's happening and try to listen in. That was the last thing in the universe that Olette wanted.

"Sorry," Mrs. Hera remarked again before gently closing the door.

Olette sighed. She felt sad. Selphie's attempts were all failures. First she didn't want to talk to Roxas, and now she was pretty sure he didn't want to talk to her.

**xXx**

Olette sat down on a swing in the local park. Children raced around her, playing tag. On the seesaw, a mom was playing with her little girl. Children, young and old, were all gathered around the jungle gym, chasing each other on the monkey bars, down the slides, up the ladders. It was all a big game to them. Olette couldn't even remember being that happy by such simple things.

The swing set was abandoned, however. No one seemed to want to swing, so it had been the perfect place for Olette to sink into her gloom.

The shadowy, cold corner, darkened by the nearby trees, seemed especially horrible when compared to the rest of the park, gleaming vibrantly in the warm sunlight, filled with laughter, not the emptiness and melancholy of the lonely swing set.

It was nearly enough to bring Olette to tears.

Nearly.

She wasn't going to lose her head for something so stupid. Roxas had made the mistake. She'd just been the victim.

At the same time, she knew she didn't know what was going on. She'd never been in the situation Roxas had been in, so she knew she couldn't truly understand what he had done. She still had every right to slap him, though.

And she felt bad. She felt bad because she hadn't searched hard enough. She hadn't searched at all. She'd only gone to his house, because secretly she didn't want to find him, to confront him and admit such embarrassing things.

"Hey."

A cool, familiar voice rang in her ears. Her heart hammered against her chest. It was suddenly hard for her to breathe. She was looking up into deep, gorgeous, blue eyes, and she couldn't hide herself from them.

"H-Hi…" she stammered, her grip tightening on the chains connecting the swing to the pole.

"I was hoping I'd find you," Roxas stated, not looking even remotely nervous. "I wanted to apologize…for everything."

"It's all right."

Olette's knuckles were white as snow from the squeezing. Her gaze followed the many trails of footprints in the snow. She couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"Thanks for the flowers," Olette mumbled finally, uncomfortable about the silence.

"You're welcome," Roxas replied cheerfully, and Olette could tell he was smiling.

And then it was quiet again, but not tense—sort of an understanding silence, an agreement that there were no words left to say. But there _was_ more to say, and Olette knew she couldn't hold back on it.

"I'm sorry too," she said.

"For what?" snorted Roxas, sounding doubtful.

"For being so melodramatic," she replied. "I should've been more mature. I was mad, so I let my anger get the better of me. I shouldn't have slapped you. I shouldn't have yelled."

"Are you kidding?"

Roxas's voice was dripping with criticism. Obviously he didn't understand her guilt.

"You should've done much worse than that!" Roxas cried. "I was a jerk! A moron! A bas…"

"Stop it! You aren't any of those things!"

Olette tore her line of sight away from the ground and turned to look at Roxas, right in the eyes this time.

"It sounds like we both let our feelings get a little out of hand," she concluded finally.

"Yeah…" Roxas agreed, nodding. "We should do that less."

This time Roxas was the one to look away, and he started to awkwardly play with his fingers.

"Uh…Olette, there's something I want to tell you…" he murmured.

For no apparent reason at all, Olette could feel her heart beating so fast she was afraid it would burst right out of her chest.

"I…" He closed his eyes. "I broke up with Naminé."

Huh. Olette felt disappointed, but at the same time happy. She wanted to hug him, but at the same time didn't. She couldn't understand what she'd been hoping for, but deep down she knew she did.

"That's great!" she chirped. "You deserve way better than her!"

"Do I?" he chortled, pushing slightly back in his swing. "Well, there's some good news. I didn't make a mistake for once!"

She smiled too, pushing back in her swing, deciding she would actually use it for what it's supposed to be used for—swinging. Back and forth, back and forth…Olette had no plan to stop.

**xXx**

Roxas walked Olette to her house. They exchanged few words but the silence was comfortable. When they were finally at her doorstep, Olette didn't want to go into the building. She wanted to stay with Roxas. She didn't want the day to be over.

"There's something else I feel bad about," Roxas remarked as Olette turned on her heels to face him.

"Another thing?" giggled Olette. "God, Roxas, how long is this list going to be?"

"Pretty long, actually," Roxas admitted, looking down at his shoes. "I kissed you…when both of us didn't want to. And…it was for all the wrong reasons. I'm so sorry, Olette. It's all my fault…again."

Olette's emerald eyes did not remove their gaze from him, but they were starting to feel slightly watery.

"It was your first kiss too. And I wasted it."

His eyes were still fastened onto his black sneakers.

"It's okay," Olette stated generously, even though she'd gotten into a whole fuss about it.

Roxas looked up at her with a grateful smile.

"I had a nice time with you, Olette," he stated.

"Ditto."

Olette winced at the word that came out of her mouth. She always slipped up like this around him.

Roxas just laughed and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. Nothing special, just the way you say goodbye after something important, like a date, or, as it happened, an apologetic meeting at the swing set in the park.

As soon as his lips touched her cheek, a jolt of what felt like electricity ran through Olette's body. Without even knowing what she was doing, she grabbed the sides of his face and brought it forcefully to her lips, longing for more of that joyful feeling.

She felt like a firework that had just been lighted. Before this she'd just been laying unused in a cold basement. Now, she was firing up, shooting into the stars, exploding into a thousand beautiful colours, her sparkles surrounding Twilight Town with warmth.

He was kissing back. She could tell because she was flying and he was with her.

It felt like an eternity—a wonderful eternity that she'd cling onto for the rest of her life. That was when she decided _this_ was her first kiss. That other one had been completely erased from memory. No flailing limbs. No panic. No pushing. No yelling. No slapping. Just kissing.

Finally she pulled away. Not too fast, mind, but just fast enough for him to realize it was over.

"I…" was the only thing she could manage.

What _was_ there to say, really? Had that kiss said it all? Had it said too much? Panic was building inside her. Finally she smiled because she couldn't control that joyous feeling leaping inside her heart.

"You were wrong, Roxas," she almost whispered. "_Now_ you've stolen my first kiss."

"Guilty as charged," he croaked, a grin once again growing on his face.

He looked ridiculous—a wobbly grin on a bright red face that belonged in a tomato garden, let alone the blue eyes that stuck out far too much against the red.

"Was that just for…for that?" Roxas stuttered finally, the grin suddenly fading. "For the kiss thing?"

Olette's heart stopped dancing. Was _that_ all it was? She'd thought it was far more than that. She'd thought it had shown something.

"Yes?"

She said it more as a question, but Roxas took it as an answer.

"I…oh…I thought…okay."

He looked exactly how Olette felt—confused, disappointed, and embarrassed.

"I'm sorry!" Olette burst out. "I didn't mean to do something that stupid!"

Her mouth was saying that, but deep down she knew she'd meant everything that she'd done, more than Roxas could understand.

But the fireworks…she'd thought she'd said it all. Roxas couldn't have possibly felt what she felt then.

"I…don't be…um…bye, Olette."

Roxas bid his goodbye and was gone. Olette felt sad when she saw him leaving. Had it really been that bad? She wanted to shout out so many things to him, even to his quickly disappearing back, but couldn't manage.

It was real. It had to have been real. Olette had no other intentions for such a kiss.

Right?

_What if our kiss was nothing but love?_

**Zestychicken2: Thanks, I hoped for that. SHOPPING SPREE!! Of course, a rather depressing one…And yes, Roxas is far, far, FAR better than Hayner. The end. (Marigolds rock!) **

**Muffin: Rather immature of me, I admit. I still want Johnny Depp though. Because he OWNS Orlando Bloom! He invented "lonely"? Didn't know that! To think, the song "Mr. Lonely" wouldn't have been made without Shakespeare. I don't **_**hate**_** Riku. Maybe slightly dislike him. He's not, like, my favourite character or anything (though he's WAY better looking KHII), but all that aside, there was a big mention of Riku in Chapter 4…I think? Oh, yeah, Chapter 4. And a way smaller one in Chapter 1. I just haven't got around to actually showing him in person, though. Maybe I will, for your sake. Thanks!**

**Dark Ambition: (cough) Sorry! (cough) And yes, it did make me happy. And I'm glad it made you feel like a celebrity. Mwa, ha, ha. Johnny is the best actor ever. I was so happy when I found him in Kingdom Hearts II. And when Pirates of the Caribbean 3 came out! Whoot! Let's hope this chapter proves all your thoughts. Personally, I feel a bit guilty that Roxas bounced back so fast…but what can you do? When an opportunity like that shows up, you can't just let it pass by. Selphie's the best character in this story, in my opinion. Sora's second. Then Olette. Then Roxas. Then after a whole, huge list of people, Naminé. Yay! Taco time! Tacos are way better than cookies. Thanks so much, but your story's as good as Johnny Depp is at being a pirate. (Can't get off topic of Johnny Depp…) **

**Keyblade Master of Promise: Thanks! I'm glad you liked the characters! Kudos to you to, because I love the word kudos! **

**Craxuan: Right, sorry. I'll remember now to only hail Johnny Depp. (Still can't stop talking about him!) And, um, yeah, I know. Because, um, even if he did go on Fan Fiction, it would NOT be to read Kingdom Hearts. Even if he was in KHII. Still wouldn't though. They're best friends. They don't yell at each other ALL the time. But I'll take that into consideration next time. Just wanted Kairi to be comical, because I was getting bored with drama. Thanks!!**

**Twighlight's Desire: See my violent reasoning? Naminé is just…evil. **

**Midnight Hikari: What's he gonna do with the flowers? Hmm…And now I'm officially suffering from Johnny addiction!**

**Cheychey41: If Johnny Depp came and told you were an awesome pirate, I'm sure you're like would be complete too! I was going to make them kiss, but it seemed too obvious, so I went against it. Thanks!**

**SilverClock: Thanks! I loved the Sora and Kairi part! Exams suck. And…I don't know if reading good stories helps you write better…I think Cornelia Funke inspired me a good many times, along with Princess Kairi and Tohrue. As a career? No, I don't think so. Writing is a hard business. You'll never know what's going to sell. J.K. Rowling was an incredible exception. **

**Blz1990: Here's the next chapter! And…moo?**

**Hwdbz: Thanks! I love them too. Lol, HMTMKMKM was way harder than this to write, though. Too long. Thanks so much!**

**GAU28: It's the plot thickens. If it sickens…not good. Thanks! Yeah, so Sora's a jerk in Homerun. But that doesn't mean it takes away from any of his Sora-ness. I like him as a jerk. Thanks, and yes, she cries SO MUCH. That wasn't planned, believe me. Thanks so much! **

**Jcola0823: Go Sora and Kairi! Thanks, I'm glad it won't finish soon either! Thanks!**

**Heartbrokensora: Patience is what gives you things. Impatience takes away. (Whoa, I sounded really wise-old-man for a second there.) I'm glad you like the story, though! I don't like taking TOO long, because it makes me feel bad. Thanks a lot!**

**Sukuta-san: Aw…thanks so much! I love cliffhangers. No, I'm wrong, I hate cliffhangers. I only like when I write them. But thanks!**

**Chibi-Heartless: Thanks! Isn't Roxette an awesome pairing? **

**Agrabah's Victorious Sultan: Thanks for all your reviews! And I'm glad you enjoyed the kiss!**

**Okay, well, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, everybody! Remember, the IIHF Hockey World Championships are today! And also, tomorrow is Victoria's Day! Oh, yeah!**

**Read and review!**

**Happy days, hockey fans! (Even though I'm not one…) **

**And happy days to you too, Victoria's Day people! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (II), Roxas, Olette, Sora, etc. **

**Author's Note: Hmm…lost myself in the end of this chapter. Kind of pleased with it though. PENCE RULES ALL!! …I wish. **

**Warning: "Damn" is in this chapter. Once. Only once, I swear. **

**Quick Author Babble: …Hi.**

Chapter 13: Love and Hatred 

_Holy crap! What have you just done?_

Roxas wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He'd been sweating since he'd walked—oh, wait, _ran_—back from Olette's house. He sort of wanted to keep running so he wouldn't have to think about where he was going, but unfortunately his house was standing right in front of him.

He glared at it. He wanted to scream at it. He wanted to tear it down. He didn't know why.

But the house continued to stay perfectly still, sturdy and strong, still glinting the same mixed colors of red and grey. It was always like that, ever since they moved there. It was the same.

"Stupid house," Roxas muttered.

Nothing was the same anymore. Roxas didn't live in that house. Naminé would never come to visit it. Neither would Hayner. Why should Pence? Why should anybody?

Olette. Olette would come to visit. She'd come to visit anytime. She never used to come and visit. She didn't know Roxas for years and years. Decades. And then she would be gone too, and Roxas will once again leave it for much longer than before. The people who actually lived inside would change. They'd grow old. They'd miss their son. They'd retire, maybe even move out to a condo closer to Twilight University. And then the house would be disowned and sit by itself, the lawn growing into a forest, the pipes rusting, the paint peeling, for months, maybe even years. Then someone would buy it, and it wouldn't be the Heras' anymore. It would be painted a different color, the flowers would be different, the hedges trimmed. It would not be the same house.

Why didn't anyone realize that? Why didn't anyone see, like Roxas did, that change was inevitable? That life was a whole trail of change?

Roxas didn't know if he wanted change. He liked his house. He wanted it to be exactly like it was forever. He wanted red paint to always exist upon it, the flowers to always be lilies, the hedges to always be tall and grandeur. But he knew it couldn't happen.

He felt angry all of a sudden. Why should the house wait years for such things? Why couldn't it happen now, if it was so ready?

He leaned over and grabbed a relatively large stone. Standing up straight, he got into a pitching stance. He threw back his arm and was ready to throw it, but then he felt it sink through the gaps between his fingers and listened to the thump as it hit the ground. He walked up the welcoming, white steps leading to the entrance of the house and didn't even turn around to wonder whether he should actually through the rock or not.

He realized now that he thought the house was him, but he wasn't going to punish the house for his mistakes.

**xXx**

"Bye, Roxas. That was a nice Christmas. And I'm expecting another one with you never year."

Roxas nodded shortly to his father, who was looking very superior to him right now, dressed in an impressive, navy tuxedo and a red tie for his business meeting. Roxas's mother was once again crying, but no one said anything about it, because Mrs. Hera got the mind of a murderer during her emotional stages.

"Bye, Mom," Roxas remarked simply.

"I…_sob_…love…_hic_…you, sweetie," she sobbed back in reply. "You…_sniffle_…come back soon…_choke_…"

"Okay."

Roxas was not going to dwell on these promises he was making or become overemotional either. He felt awkward, so he figured it was time to go.

He gave a final wave before he completely disappeared down the sidewalk. His father waved back and his mother blew her nose on a tissue, then the door closed to the house Roxas despised so much now. He wondered where Sora and Kairi were. He tried not to wonder where Olette was. He thought back to the house and he was glad he didn't throw the stone and permanently dent it. He wasn't so good with quick changes.

"Hi, Roxas!"

Roxas froze. She was there. If he had the power to become invisible, there would be no better time. It was too late to hide himself under his hood, and he obviously couldn't run, but he refused to turn around and face her, to see the same happy smile with the same lips he had kissed willingly.

"Hi," he mumbled.

"Where are Sora and Kairi?" Olette asked cheerfully.

"At the train station, I guess."

"We're not late, are we?"

Roxas refused to look at his watch. There was a little rebellion inside him.

"Dunno."

"What's wrong?"

Her voice was too sincere for his liking. Roxas groaned inwardly. Come on, invisibility powers, if there is such a thing.

"Nothing."

"What do you mean, nothing?" Olette asked. "There is definitely something."

"If there is something, why would you care?"

"Why shouldn't I care?"

"Maybe because it's none of your business."

This, of course, was the exact opposite of what was the truth. However, Olette didn't read this because the silence that followed afterward was the lowest possible comforting thing in the world. Roxas could tell she was hurt. He tried not to care. It was easier to just not care.

When the train station came into sight, he was relieved. Instead of walking, he ran. He didn't know why, exactly. Nothing made sense anymore.

"Roxas, Olette, there you are!" Sora cried, throwing open the glass doors. "Where were you?"

"Home," Olette and Roxas chimed in unison.

Roxas glared at Olette because he didn't appreciate them having the same thoughts.

"My mom wouldn't stop crying," he muttered.

"Selphie wouldn't let go of me," Olette replied, sounding particularly downhearted.

Her hands fell to her sides, pink from the cold. Roxas found himself fighting the urge to hold those hands. What was he thinking? What was wrong with him?

Roxas felt sort of nauseous as he subconsciously got on the train. Olette didn't sit beside him and smartly collapsed in the seat beside Kairi. Sora took her place.

In a way, it was good. Roxas wouldn't do something stupid and obnoxious and Olette wouldn't cry, and they'd both be able to talk to people they liked to have general conversations with. Roxas secretly hid the wish he had of sitting beside Olette. He lied to himself by thinking he and Sora had more things in common anyway so it would be more fun. It was easier to lie to him than others, especially when he had the idea of believing it attached in his mind.

The two hour train ride seemed even longer than before. The minutes dragged on and on, and everybody seemed to move in slow motion.

Roxas closed his eyes, lolling his head to the side and half-looking out the window.

"Well, isn't this nice?" Kairi remarked casually from behind him. "I mean, heading back to university, where we can all start talking to each other again?"

There was a hint of accusation in her voice. Roxas could hear it loud and clear.

"Yup," Sora replied dryly. "Real great. Studying for midterm exams. Fun."

"At least we'll do it together!" Kairi added rather forcefully.

"Sounds like a party."

"You're just a grump, Sora Ivo! That's what you are!"

"I'll pretend to be insulted for your sake."

There was a whack and a howl of pain. Not a word came out of Olette's mouth. Roxas didn't feel like talking much either.

"Isn't Sora mean, Olette?" Kairi asked, losing interest in talking directly to the boy.

"Aren't all boys mean, Kairi?" Olette replied sassily.

"Indeed they are." Kairi replied happily to the answer. "Jerks are what they should be called."

"Hey!" Sora whined. "Two against one! No fair!"

"You're such a baby, Sora."

"Am not!"

Roxas felt his arm being nudged. The last thing he wanted was to be included in this argument. Not only was "aren't all boys mean" comment totally not Olette-like, but he knew far too much about where it came from.

"Roxas, you're being sort of quiet during this act of chauvinism, aren't you?" Sora asked him.

"Mm," Roxas grunted.

"Actually, you're just being quiet. Silent. I hear zip. Zilcho. Notta."

"Meh."

As much as it amused Roxas that he used all three replacements for "zero", he wasn't in the mood to laugh. In fact, he did the exact opposite and rolled his eyes, resting his chin on his hand, looking drearily out the window once again.

"Wow," Sora muttered sarcastically. "You're a barrel of fun today."

"Isn't he pleasant company?" Olette quipped sassily.

Ouch. That one actually hurt. He swiveled around in his seat to glare at her.

"Yeah, and you've always been a party, haven't you, Olette?" he snapped. "Lying to your friends about everything. It's great fun!"

"Hey! Watch it!" Kairi cried defensively, putting an arm around Olette.

Olette didn't even notice. She was biting her lip and clenching her fists, obviously trying not to pounce on him.

"You know what's fun, Roxas?" she hissed. "You know what really makes me laugh? Watching your _perfect girlfriend_ making out with your best friend on the porch! A real experience!"

"SHUT UP!"

"Holy crap!"

Sora grabbed Roxas's arm and pulled him back. Roxas's heart was beating a mile a minute. His veins were on fire. He could taste blood.

"Stop!" Kairi actually had Olette in a bear hug, not that the brunette was truly paying attention.

"What's _wrong_ with you two?!" Sora shouted, more to Olette than Roxas.

"_He's_ what's wrong with me, that's for sure!" Olette shrieked shrilly. "He's just being a jerk because he can't take it that his girlfriend likes his best friend more than him!"

"_I'm _a jerk?" Roxas snorted. "_I'm_ a jerk?! You'd like to think that, wouldn't you, you little witch?!"

"Back off, Roxas!" cried Kairi threateningly. "If you even lay a finger on Olette…"

"I'll kill you," Sora finished for her, rubbing his temples in deep thought.

Roxas laughed a little manically.

"Because Olette's always the innocent one, right? Sweet, little Olette can't do anything wrong! Well, guess what? Olette's not so innocent anymore!"

Kairi's gaze immediately pierced him.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"She kissed me, damn it!" Roxas shouted. "Right after I broke up with Naminé! She was waiting, I bet! That's why she was so happy about me breaking up with her!"

"You…" Sora's voice faded. His gaze was rapidly switching from Roxas to Olette. "You what?"

"You _what_?" Kairi's voice was much louder and high-pitched than Sora's.

"Oh, don't play stupid with me!" Olette shrieked. "You kissed me back, you moron! You were desperate and heartbroken and an IDIOT!"

"I'm dizzy." Sora was holding his head like he had a headache.

Kairi, however, looked far more into it than him.

"So you two kissed? This is what this is all about?" She looked more stunned than confused.

"No, it's not about that!" Roxas clarified. "All Olette wants to do is make my life a living hell, and so far she's succeeded!"

"It's not my fault Naminé doesn't love you!"

"So I suppose it's not your fault either that you love me?"

"I don't…" Olette looked so furious with rage that she couldn't even get her tongue to work. "I DON'T LOVE YOU, YOU JERK!"

She was digging her nails into the seat cushion, eyes burning bright red, looking positively diabolic.

"I HATE YOU!" she shrieked, detaching herself from her seat and racing out of their part of the train.

"Olette!"

Kairi jumped out of her chair, running after her friend, but not before turning around and throwing a dirty look at Roxas. There was silence. Sora looked desperately at the door Kairi had just run out of then looked at Roxas. Finally, making up his mind, he got up and moved towards the door. He turned around and looked Roxas directly in the eye.

"Sorry," he apologized. He really did look sorry. For a moment of craziness, Roxas hated Sora for pitying him and wished he would just hate him like everybody else and let him sink into his life of despair and melancholy and have it over with. He didn't want Sora to be his friend. He didn't want anyone to be his friend. He wanted to be alone, during life, during death, during everything.

By the time he was actually paying attention to the world around him, Sora was gone.

**xXx**

Roxas collapsed on his bed in the small apartment he had grown to love. He closed the blinds and pulled the quilt up over his head and let himself drown in the darkness. Roxas had always thought when they said in books "death was better than this" they had been overreacting. Turned out there were some things in life worse than death. And of course, Roxas had to live through them.

He wasn't sure how to describe it exactly. It was a huge clump of things. It was like dirty laundry rolled up into a ball. He couldn't distinguish them from each other. It was just a big mess.

There was one thing he was sure of though, far too much for comfort. When Olette had kissed him, his lips had obliged, almost like they had minds of their own. A scary thought, but that's what it felt like. And his heart had been pounding heavily in his chest, electricity running through his body. And it had felt good. Too good. Their lips fit together too perfectly. They read each other's emotions too easily. It was overwhelming. And that's what scared Roxas the most.

He'd never thought he would ever have feelings for anyone besides Naminé. He never believed in love after love, especially so soon. He didn't want to get over Naminé. He'd loved her too much. And now he was thinking about her in past tense, as if she was a lost love one, as if she'd simply faded from existence instead of gone off with his best friend.

The truth hurt. Roxas didn't want to accept reality. Yes, he'd known Naminé for years, and yes, he'd loved her and cherished her and held her close to him and once upon a time needed her as much as he needed oxygen. There was that stupid past tense again.

Roxas didn't want to move on. He didn't want to love Olette. He didn't want to cherish her and hold her close to him and need her as much as he needed oxygen, because he was scared of the future. He hated the future even more than the past.

He remembered the house. That poor house, probably going to be torn down a couple of decades from now.

Things were too real in life. If everything was so real, why did it feel like a long, badly-written soap opera? Why was everything so _hard_?

He squeezed his eyes shut and pretended that he was being erased from the universe, an eraser rubbing side to side, his limbs disappearing, just sinking into the bed.

He remembered Pence for some reason. Good old Pence, never doing anything to harm anyone, just a victim of Hayner's pranks. Pence used to be his next door neighbor, then he had to move away, much farther away. Pence explained to Roxas about the new house with excitement, and Roxas remembered being mad at Pence for being happy when he was so depressed about the whole thing.

"I hate you," he'd said very firmly, scowling.

"Good thing," Pence replied with a smile. "Hate and love are like sisters. I'd rather have you hate me than not feel anything for me at all."

Back then, it had annoyed him and just made him angrier. Now, right at that moment, it gave him nothing but pleasure. Suddenly the quilt seemed lighter and more comfortable.

"Hate and love are like sisters…" he repeated thoughtfully, and he felt his eyelids getting heavy before everything disappeared into blackness.

_What if I'm still wondering about these feelings?_

**I AM NO LONGER RESPONDING TO REVIEWS. But I can assure you that I have read them all and you better not stop them because I greatly enjoy them and they make my story seem a lot better than it actually is. So if you stop, I'll cry. CRY, PEOPLE! Which is totally an un-me thing to do. **

**Read and review!**

**Hey, Jude! Or…bye, Jude!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (II), Olette, Roxas, Seifer, etc. But yes, I do own Cocoa's Coffee Shop.**

**Author's Note: Sorry this took so long. Actually, everything's taking so long. My writing has slowed to one word per day basically. I've been writing a one-shot for this new collection I'm starting and it's taking forever because it's SO LONG! I need to work on my one-shots. **

**Warning: I can't say anything or it'll give it away...**

**Quick Author Babble: This will not help you either.**

Chapter 14: Problems

Olette spent another day alone in her apartment. What a great life she had. Had she mentioned how wonderful her friends were? Had she mentioned that she'd been thinking sarcastically for a week?

Olette was determined. She was determined to hate Roxas forever. She wasn't going to let anyone convince her that Roxas wasn't a bad person, that perhaps she should look at all sides of the situation, that maybe she was overreacting. So she stayed holed up in her apartment. It was easy, really. All you had to do was sneak into class without anyone noticing and go right back to your apartment when it was over. She didn't talk to anyone—not Sora, not Kairi, not even Selphie. She didn't want to listen to reason. She wanted to be illogical, because that was simpler than listening and thinking and all that stuff you have to do to forgive a person that you don't want to forgive.

Did they bother her? Of course they did. Kairi and Sora would stop by and knock. She wouldn't answer. She'd hide and pretend she wasn't home. Selphie phoned all the time. Did she pick up? Nope. Olette had caller ID—quite handy in times like these. She got letters from Selphie too, letters that said sincere things that best friends would say to each other like "Ollie, I'm really worried about you" and "Ollie, why aren't you picking up your phone?" and "Ollie, is the post office slow or are you just avoiding me?"

The latter, of course.

Olette poured herself a glass of orange juice and chugged it down in seconds and felt sick moments later. Could you get sick of yourself? That's what it felt like for sure.

_Ding dong._

Oh no. How long was this going to continue? Didn't they realize Olette wasn't in a mood to talk?

_Ding dong._

"Shut up!" Olette mouthed at the door, feeling irritable.

_Dingdongdingdongdingdong! Knock, knock! _

"Aaargh..." Olette muttered under her breath.

How desperate could they be? How dense could a person be to not realize people were avoiding them?

_Hammer, hammer, hammer! Dingdongdingdongdingdong! Hammer, hammer, hammer!_

Olette was about to lose it. She stormed over to the door, not caring who it was, and threw it open, seeing red.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT??" she shrieked at whoever.

"You're in a great mood today."

The red faded to reveal a blond boy with a hat pulled down to his ears. He was wearing a long, white trench coat and boring old clothes underneath.

"What is it, Seifer?" Olette snapped, a little quieter.

Curse the beings that forced her and Seifer into the same apartment building.

"I came by to congratulate you," Seifer replied coolly.

On what? On having "most miserable life"? On having "shortest magical moment"? What? What the heck did Seifer want to congratulate her for?

Olette just glared at him instead of putting her thoughts into words.

"You did a real good thing, pushing Roxas away," Seifer said. "Annoying, isn't he? Kind of reminds me of a leech."

Olette could see red again. Seifer was about the worst apartment-building-sharer ever to exist on the planet. One day, she would murder him.

"Listen, Seifer, if all you came over for is to insult Roxas, you can just turn your scrawny body back around and go back into your own apartment," Olette hissed. She wasn't going to bother with manners. Seifer didn't deserve them.

"Touchy," Seifer scoffed. "If you care about Roxas that much, you should've just said so."

"I don't." Who knew she was going to be talking to Seifer about the whole thing?

"Then why are you defending him and sulking in your apartment?"

"Why should I tell you anything?"

"Because I'm listening."

What was that supposed to mean? Olette didn't understand. Didn't everyone listen to her? Hadn't Selphie always listened? Hadn't Kairi always cared? Maybe they didn't. Maybe they didn't listen or care and that's why they always managed to change her mind instead of see it her way and help her through it. As she looked up into Seifer's smirking face, she knew he wouldn't judge her. People who could not succeed could not judge.

"Come in," Olette sighed.

Seifer was not the best guest either, let alone worst apartment-building-sharer. He sat right down on the couch, making a whole new meaning of "making yourself at home".

"Beverages?" he asked so snottily that Olette wondered if she had made the right decision after all.

"All I've got is orange juice," she said through gritted teeth.

"That'll do."

Humph. Olette blew a strand of dark brown hair out of her eyes and poured him a glass of orange juice. She felt sick just looking at it.

"Here," she muttered. "Take it."

She held it out with the very tips of her fingers.

"You're treating it like someone threw up on it," Seifer sighed, taking the glass from her with a steady grip.

Olette sighed and ran a hand through her hair, before realizing that Roxas always did that and she was probably copying him by habit. For no particular reason, she rubbed her hand on her shirt.

"Seifer," she said, collapsing on the sofa beside him.

Seifer looked up at her with curious, blue eyes.

"Can you be sick of yourself?"

Seifer actually considered the question. He didn't even look at her like she was insane, or tell her to take a nap, or ask her if she was feeling okay. Boy, would he feel stupid if it turned out she _was_ going crazy.

"Yeah, probably," he said after a moment. "I mean, why not? When there's no one else to blame, you're the only one left, and attitude does its work."

His answer made sense! Hallelujah!

"Er...yeah...I guess you're right." Olette looked at her entwined fingers and fell silent.

"So...what exactly happened between you and Roxas? Was it just a feud, or...? Well, I don't know what else, but is it a feud?"

"I don't know what it is, to be honest." Olette closed her eyes and tried to envision where it all started. All she could see was a petite, blonde girl with delicate features. "You see, Roxas had this girlfriend..."

"Ah." Seifer scratched his chin and nodded wisely. "I see."

"What do you mean, you see? I've barely started!"

"When you're as experienced as me, you don't need to talk any further."

Olette raised and eyebrow. It was hard to believe Seifer was experienced in anything.

"Let me take a wild guess at this...Okay, so, you were jealous of Roxas's girlfriend because she 'had' Roxas, but you didn't want to think you liked Roxas, so you went all _wooohhhh_ and then, in a life-changing moment, Roxas suddenly realized he liked you and broke up with his girlfriend and just when things were going well, you both realized the world had turned upside down and you didn't want this to happen, so you got into this big fight over absolutely nothing and both of you ended up crying alone in your apartments."

"How in the world...?" Olette stuttered, then she put up her hands. "Never mind. I guess you're right, stalker or not."

"Thank you." Seifer smiled and took a bow, then gulped at his orange juice.

"So, what is this, if you're so experienced?"

"Well, Olette, I'd have to say..." He scratched his chin and appeared to be thinking. "This is a big load of unwanted love."

"What?" Olette sounded more venomous than puzzled.

"You love each other for sure. You just don't want to admit it as the proud, swell-headed people you are."

"Look who's talking," Olette remarked, rolling her eyes.

"Very funny."

Seifer got up, putting down his empty glass on the coffee table.

"I guess I should get going," he stated, making his way to the door. Right as he was opening the door to leave, he turned around with a smile. "I'm still right, though."

"_Goodbye_, Seifer," Olette sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Ciao."

And he was gone, leaving Olette knowing too much than she wanted.

**xXx**

So, who to pick to talk to? Selphie? Nah. She was a bit of a blabbermouth, and long distance charges weren't exactly Olette's best friends. Kairi? No, she tended to get mad when people ignored her for long periods of time. Seifer? No, no, no. That had been embarrassing enough. Sora? Well...

Olette thought of the pros and cons. Pro: Sora would not mock her. Con: Sora was a guy. Pro: Sora wouldn't tell anyone if she told him to. Con: Sora was a guy. Pro: Sora listened relatively well. Con: Sora was a guy.

Okay, so she only had one con but it was rather huge and should've counted for ten. Talking to a guy was much, much harder than talking to a girl. It's not like Sora was a jerk or anything. He wouldn't laugh or tell anyone or barely pay attention. But managing to get the words out to him? That was a different story.

She had told Seifer bits and pieces. She would tell Sora the whole story. She was almost tempted to talk to Selphie now no matter how much it costed.

_Pull yourself together, Olette. How hard can this be? _

Olette nodded and breathed in. She was going to have to tell someone sometime, and Sora was her only option.

**xXx**

"Pardon! Excuse me! Sorry!"

Olette pushed her way through the crowd of students filing through the hallway. She hadn't been in throngs like this for a week. How in the world had she managed that? She couldn't remember...

She breathed out when she saw someone familiar.

"Yuna!" she cried, running up to the silvery brown-haired girl.

Yuna Phillips, a bright girl that came all the way from Radiant Garden, sat beside her in science class. She was very pretty with shoulder length silvery brown hair, one blue eye, and one green eye. She was a nice and calm person, but when she wanted to be, very outspoken.

"Oh, hi, Olette!" Yuna chirped in greeting as she halted in the middle of the hallway. "I never see you walking in the halls anymore."

"Yeah, I've been feeling sort of under the weather," Olette lied, feeling very guilty as Yuna looked at her worriedly.

"Why? Are you alright?" she questioned sincerely.

"Yeah, it's just a cold. Ah...ah...AHCHOO!" Olette fake sneezed. Many people in the hallway took a few steps back in disgust. Yuna stood quite still and looked like she was about to run off to make chicken soup for Olette right at that moment.

"You should hurry home then," she said.

"First, do you know where Sora is?" Olette asked bluntly.

"Yeah, I saw him at Cocoa's."

Cocoa's? Thank goodness. Olette was glad he was only across the street.

"Thanks, Yuna!" she cried, getting ready to run off.

"Wait!" Yuna exclaimed. "Don't you think it's a bad idea to go outside when you have a cold? It's freezing outside!"

"Thanks for caring, Yuna, but I really need to talk to Sora."

"Well, okay..."

Olette raced through the crowed, elbowing whoever out of the way without even being polite this time.

"Be sure to ask if they have tea! And make sure there's lemon..." Yuna's voice disappeared as Olette broke out of the university and made her way out of the campus.

Yuna was right. It was freezing outside. Olette felt like a popsicle. Good thing she was going to Cocoa's, probably the warmest building on the block. Olette made her way across the street, her eyes on the green sign with gold letters saying "Cocoa's Coffee" with a picture of a steaming coffee cup underneath.

She entered and felt the cold air evaporate. She smiled and smelled the coffee scent, relinquishing herself to the warmth. She hadn't been in Cocoa's for too long.

She looked around and found Sora. Sitting by himself. At a two table. Could this work out any better? Maybe this would be easier than she thought.

Olette approached him. Sora was staring at an envelope with such intensity she almost didn't want to interrupt.

"Pardon? Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked.

"Hm?" Sora looked up with lazy eyes and looked up at Olette. "Oh. Olette. Of course you can sit."

He moved the envelope and coffee cup from her side of the table. Olette had to admit, she was kind of disappointed about his reaction. She hoped his eyes would widen, or he'd break into his big, Sora-like smile. He wasn't even smiling at all. He was just...sitting there, as if he saw her all the time. Maybe she should've talked to Kairi after all...

"So, what's up?" he asked in a monotone voice. "What's so special that it made you leave your apartment?"

Hm. Snippy too. Did Sora drink his daily amount of caffeine today? Oh, wait. They were sitting in a coffee shop while he was drinking coffee. Well. Now Olette had no idea.

"Maybe I could ask you the same question," she replied. "The first one, that is."

There was silence for a bit, Sora and Olette daring each other to speak.

"I got a letter." Sora finally gave in, holding up the envelope.

"Good for you!" Olette chirped sarcastically. "What an adventure!"

Sora shook his head.

"You don't get it."

"What's to get? You got mail. Big whoop."

Sora sighed and let his head fall onto the table between the crevice in his arm.

"It's from Riku," he stated, voice muffled.

"_What?!" _Olette leaped up so fast that her chair nearly fell over. "You've got to be kidding!"

Sora shook his head. Olette didn't know if she should feel happy or mad at him.

"What does it say?!" Olette exclaimed in a melodramatic tone, grabbing onto Sora's collar and pulling him up. "Something important?!"

"I don't know," Sora sighed.

"What?" Olette's face was suddenly made of stone.

"_I don't know. _I haven't read it."

Olette was too excited to get into details.

"Well, you've got to tell Kairi at least!" Olette cried. "She's been waiting for a letter from him since...since...well, a long time, I'll tell you that much!"

"No!" Sora suddenly became very loud as he stood up as well.

"What? Why not?" Olette asked, bewildered.

Sora sighed and slowly sat back down into his chair.

"You don't get it."

"I will if you tell me."

Olette felt Roxas totally disappear from mind as she divulged herself in Sora's problems, which suddenly seemed to be miracles.

"Listen, you can't ever tell Kairi this, okay?" Sora stated with a tone of finality.

"Of course not," Olette promised.

Sora sighed yet again and closed his eyes. He bent his head and brushed his hair with his hand, considering the right words to use.

"Kairi, Riku, and I have been friends for a really long time," he explained slowly.

"Yes, I know." Olette knew she was bouncing in her seat but she didn't care, even though she felt like Selphie. "Best friends."

"Right. Best friends." When Sora didn't say anything for a long while, Olette decided to hurry things up a bit.

"Then what's the problem?" she asked.

Sora watched her jump up and down wearily.

"C'mon, Olette," he muttered. "You're giving me a headache."

"Sorry." Olette anchored herself to her chair. "Continue."

"...When we were fourteen..." Another pause, "I...had a little..."

"Crush on her?" Olette predicted his words, leaning on the table so she could grin in his face.

Sora nodded and pushed her back down again.

"So? So? So? So?" Olette kept repeating. She felt like she was reading a suspenseful romance novel.

"So...?" Sora looked confused.

"SO DID YOU TELL HER??" Olette shrieked.

Hm. Could you get caffeine in your body by just smelling coffee?

"Olette!" Sora looked alarmed. He clamped a hand over her mouth. "Listen. Here's how it goes. I tell the story, and you be quiet till the very end."

Olette nodded grudgingly.

"And in answer to your question, does it _look_ like I told her?" Sora asked.

Olette shook her head sadly.

"Exactly," Sora stated. "So that's how it was for awhile. I didn't like it, but it was nothing compared to what happened next."

Olette threw him a curious look. She felt adrenaline pumping through her blood stream again, but she tried to ignore it.

"Since I didn't drop and clues that I liked her, Riku asked her out," Sora explained. "They became an...item, I guess?"

Olette's eyes widened. Good thing she was being silent otherwise she might go through the roof, screaming the whole time.

"So, yeah. They're not anymore. But I'm still worried...about...Will you _please_ stop giving me that look?"

Olette had been giving him a sympathetic stare. She threw her arms into the air in agitation before leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. There was no winning with this guy.

"I'm still worried that they'll get back together, is all," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I thought maybe university would be a safe place to go since he wouldn't be coming, but letters will be their way out, I'm sure. I don't want him talking to her. She just forgot about him and..."

He sighed and rammed his head into the table.

"Never mind. It doesn't matter."

Olette hoped the story was over because she leaned over to touch his arm comfortingly.

"It _does_ matter," she stated truthfully.

There was a moment of silence until Olette eyed the letter sitting on the table beside Sora.

"Hand me the letter," she demanded. "If you're not going to read it, I will."

Sora shrugged and slid it over to her. She ripped open the envelope and took out the paper inside.

"Read out loud," Sora requested.

"Okay." Olette coughed and read the words on the page.

_Hey, Sora: _

_How are you doing at that ritzy university of yours? You must be having a great time since you haven't sent me a single letter. You really are as lazy as you seem. _

_I got one from Kairi. At least I know she's doing okay with you. Did she get the letter I sent her? Well, maybe you don't know since you're too lazy to talk to her. _

_That was just a joke. Calm down._

_Anyway, I'm leaving from Destiny Islands tomorrow and heading to Radiant Garden. Boring, I know, but maybe there's more to it than just the city. _

_Anyway, guess where my next stop is? Radiant Garden, I know, don't be a smart Alec, Sora. I mean after that. _

_Twilight Town! Seriously!_

_All I have to do is rent an apartment near the university and I can see you and Kairi again! I've missed you guys a lot, especially Kairi. I didn't miss you at all. _

_Joking. Again. You have quite the temper, Sora._

_But I did miss Kairi a little more than you if you can understand. I mean, we're...like...you know. _

_Anyway, I'm coming to Twilight Town in two weeks and I'll be staying there until the end of the summer! Isn't that great?_

_Actually, it's awful. I'll have to see your ugly mug again. _

_Sorry. I just wanted to see how long it would take for you to explode._

_See ya, _

_Riku_

"WHEN DID HE SEND THAT?" Sora grabbed the envelope and looked at it with craziness in his eyes.

He groaned and let his head collapse on the table again.

"What? When's he coming?" Olette asked, nervously clenching the letter in her hands.

"Tomorrow..." Sora mumbled.

"Oh, no." Olette rubbed her temples from the splitting headache she was getting.

"You know what?" Sora snapped, standing up so quickly that his chair made a horrible scraping sound on the tile floor. "It doesn't matter! I don't care if he's coming! He can have as much fun with Kairi as he wants, since she obviously prefers him over me!"

He snatched the letter from Olette, rolled it up into a ball, and chucked both the letter and his coffee cup into the garbage can with such force that it shook before storming out of the coffee shop.

_What if someone's problems were worse than ours?_

**Whoa. This Sora's even worse than decaffeinated Sora, maybe even drunk Sora. But I haven't created him yet. **

**Yes, that's right, folks! Riku's coming into the picture!**

**Last night I was thinking I don't have a lot of Riku in my stories. Only mentions. Sometimes not even that. And no, **_**HMTMKMKM **_**does not count, because Riku was needed to be the guide or whatever. We all need a wise person in a story. **

**For example: **

_**Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me**_** - Riku, obviously**

_**What If**_** - Selphie and I guess sort of Seifer**

_**Pour Some Sugar On Me**_** - Kairi or maybe Namine's mom**

_**Born To Be Wild**_** - I don't know yet. I think it turns out to be Yuffie in the end. **

**So yeah. Getting really off topic.**

**I decided Riku must have a bigger part in this story, and Kairi's letter was an unfinished part of the story. **

**Okay, so bye.**

**Read and review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (II), Roxas, Olette, Sora, etc. **

**Author's Note: Um…good…morning? Maybe? Sorry for this being so, so, so, so, so, SO late. Not that I know what "late" is. Or what "on time" is. All I know is that I'm usually done an update by now or maybe a few weeks before now, but I've been in Greece, and busy. Plus, this story has simply not been on my mind. **

**Warning: The new character in this story is RIKU, who has many fan(girl)s, but I'm sure plenty of people go "ugh…it's Riku…I hate Riku…nanana" because I was one of those people once upon a time. And maybe still is, because I almost ALWAYS make him the "bad" guy, if I mention him at all. **

**Quick Author Babble: I love Gilmore Girls…(drool runs down chin)**

Chapter 15: Wise Guy

Roxas sat in front of his miniscule television, watching the blurry screen of some cooking show which he wasn't really paying attention to. He wondered what the world record was for television watching, and wondered if he'd beaten it already.

The thing was, Roxas didn't even _like_ watching television. It gave him headaches and stung his eyes. He thought only really lazy people who had nothing better to do watched television all day, like old men with big potbellies and hair all down their body, but not on the top of their heads.

And here he was, nineteen, with tons of hair (on his head, mind), no potbelly (thank God), with his friends outside and laughing, maybe in Cocoa's, the movie theatre, whatever, as he sat inside, wasting away…slowly…v…e…r…y…s…l…o…w…l…y…

Okay, he thought, standing up and turning off the TV. He couldn't take it. He'd been watching the little, electronic box for two days straight now and he had a gigantic migraine. Before, he thought he couldn't take being outside and communicating with the real world, but locking himself up in his apartment was…impossible.

At least, he reasoned, he had not done something stupid, like getting drunk or attempting to smoke.

He grabbed his coat and left the apartment, closing the door and twiddling in his pockets to find his keys to lock it, when suddenly he was run over by a fast-moving blur. Hmm. Suddenly doing nothing didn't seem so bad.

"Roxas!" He was grabbed by the forearm and lifted to his feet, where he swayed unsteadily.

"Hello, blur," he murmured dizzily. "Have we met before?"

"Very funny," the blur snapped. "This is not the time to be a smart Alec, you know."

Roxas was confused. He hadn't meant to be funny…or smart, for that matter. He shook his head and the blurriness cleared and suddenly Roxas recognized Sora.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I have a migraine. It's throwing me off. I'm okay now."

"Good," Sora said, looking very red. He was panting a little. And sweating. Repulsive, if you asked Roxas. "He's here."

"Who's where?" Roxas asked. Maybe he _was_ a little dazed still…

Sora seized him by the shoulders and shook him violently.

"_Riku!"_ he shouted. Roxas cringed. "Riku's here! Didn't Olette tell you?"

Roxas laughed mockingly.

"You're funny. Olette tell me anything. That's a good one."

"You two are _still_ fighting?" Sora sighed. "After you find out Riku's here?"

"Oh, yeah, my mistake," Roxas stated sarcastically. "Riku's visit made us realize that we're making a big mistake and we magically made up overnight."

"No time for sarcasm!" Sora yelled. "Go, go, go!"

Sora was pushing him towards the elevator. This was going to be a long day.

**xXx**

"Where is he?"

Roxas looked around for someone that Sora looked like he would be friends with—short hair, droopy eyes, glasses, maybe?

"University grounds," Sora said. "Talking to Kairi, maybe."

Even though he tried to make it sound casual, it was very easy to see Sora prickle.

"Oh," Roxas laughed. "I see the urgency now."

"Shut up," Sora snapped quickly.

"Oh, Riku! I love you sooooo much!" Roxas said, mimicking Kairi in a very high voice.

He made kissy faces and noises to go along with them. Sora was not amused.

"Come on," he mumbled, sounding like he was holding back on punching Roxas in the face. "They're waiting."

"Doubt it," Roxas said under his breath, but Sora probably heard because he turned his head to give Roxas a do-you-want-me-to-push-you-in-front-of-a-car look. Oh, well. It was fun while it lasted.

**xXx**

When they arrived at the neat and tidy, pro-nature grounds of TU Sora was sweating a little. Roxas found this hilarious, but he didn't open his mouth again before checking if there were any cars around. Then, in a small voice, he dared to speak.

"Where are they?"

"Behind the staff building."

"Ah. Okay. Staff building."

Roxas chose not to point out that the little nook of grass and trees behind the staff building was where most students chose to make-out with their boy/girlfriends. He stayed silent, but Sora turned to glare at him anyway.

"Not…a word," he hissed.

Roxas shook his head. Would laughing be considered a word?

**xXx**

It didn't take long to reach the little, green space. Roxas was looking around curiously, searching for short-haired, droopy-eyed, glasses-wearing guy, but oddly could not find him.

"Where is he?" Roxas asked. Right then, he didn't really care about Kairi—he wanted to see the infamous Riku who Sora was so jealous of.

"There," Sora said gruffly, pointing.

Roxas followed the direction of his finger to a tall, silver-haired (yes, _silver hair_. What kind of experiment gone wrong caused this?), narrow-eyed guy. He didn't even have glasses on, and yes, his silver hair was really long, below his shoulders even.

"Very funny," Roxas remarked, laughing. "Now show me the real Riku."

He knew he had made a mistake when Sora returned with a blank look.

"That _is_ the real Riku," he stated. "See? There's Kairi and Olette beside him."

Roxas squinted. Well, what do you know? Olette had actually exited her apartment and shown herself in public for once. Right in front of Roxas's eyes too. He bubbled just a little bit. He'd bet that she volunteered to come along, while he was literally dragged there.

He tried to get his attention back to Riku, but he still found it impossible to believe that this guy, Mr. I-Have-Silver-Hair, ever, even once, was friends with Sora. The remarks were endless. So many possibilities to criticize. So many.

"He has _silver hair_!" Roxas choked out instead.

"Yes, I have noticed that," Sora remarked dryly.

"It's…it's bright _platinum_!" Roxas gasped, clutching his head.

"I know, Roxas."

"It's…metallic! Like he was dipped in liquid silver and it just _hardened_ that way!"

"I _know_, Roxas!"

Roxas burst out into a fit of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Sora snapped, getting redder by the second.

"Y-You…were friends with a punk?" Roxas laughed. "Oh, God, I'm dying! I'm dying!"

"Roxas, Riku isn't a _punk_, he's a…" Sora paused. "He's a…"

"What? What is he, Sora?" Roxas said teasingly. "A ballerina? Tinkerbell? Oh, wait…he's most definitely a princess!"

"Okay, so maybe he _is_ a punk," Sora stated, "but…"

It was too late for Sora to justify himself. Roxas was laughing again, this time nearly crying.

"What? What's so funny about me being friends with a punk?" Sora snapped. "I could be a punk if I wanted!"

"P-Please…" Roxas gasped, feeling like he was going to explode. "N-No more pain…Have mercy…"

Sora threw him one more glare before dragging him over to the others. Roxas composed himself, wiping the tears from his eyes and coughing a few times. It took him a minute to realize everyone was looking at him. Weird.

"Hi," supposedly Riku said, breaking the silence. "You must be Roxas…?"

"Oh. Uh. Yeah. And I'm guessing you're the infamous Riku?" Roxas replied. "Guessing" was definitely the word to use.

"Infamous?" Maybe Riku looked confused. "Huh. Didn't know I was famous at all."

"Oh, sure!" chirped Olette. "Sora and Kairi talk about you all the time!"

Roxas glared at Olette…for…talking. Loudly.

Okay, so he was running out of excuses to hate her, but that wasn't going to stop him. Who needed reasons to hate someone? Hatred is blind—dumb hatred that Roxas happened to enjoy.

_Hate and love are like sisters. I'd rather have you hate me than not feel anything for me at all._

Perhaps Roxas should start hating Pence as well? He was pretty sure those words were going to stick with him for life. Maybe Pence will finally realize this when Roxas commits suicide and writes "It's Pence's fault for his dumb life lesson" on a note and sticks it to his back.

No, instead of committing suicide Roxas was going to call him and yell at him. He could see it now:

Pence: Hello?

Roxas: Pence, great, I just wanted to tell you that you are a complete moron.

Pence: Roxas? What?

Roxas: That whole "hate and love" crap. You know, back when we were kids? I'm officially scarred with its stupid wisdom.

Pence: I _am_ wise, but what's this about?

Roxas: Olette. She yelled at me and we fought and I hate her and I hope she gets wiped off the face of the planet.

Pence: Ah. chuckles

Roxas: What? What is there to laugh about?

Pence: Hate and love really aren't that far off from each other, are they, Roxas? chuckles some more

Roxas: PENCE, DON'T YOU START WITH THAT AGAIN…

Pence: What is that, Love? You're going to be visiting Roxas and Olette soon?

Roxas: …Moron.

Huh. Well, Roxas wasn't going to give Pence the satisfaction of chuckling and being like an all-knowing oracle. And…and…

He was still in the middle of a conversation, wasn't he? Who knew thinking about Olette's destruction could be so distracting?

"Well, it's nice to see you all," Riku said. "Especially you, Kairi."

Kairi turned a bright shade of red. Sora did too, but not for the same reasons, Roxas guessed.

"Now, Kairi, you said you were going to show me Cocoa's?" Riku asked.

"Oh, yeah," Kairi said, waking up from her daze. "It's a great coffee pub."

"I don't know," Riku stated doubtfully. "You know I'm picky with my coffee…"

"C'mon! It's great…really!"

And just like that, they were gone. Olette turned to look at Sora with a sympathetic look on her face.

"Well…he seems nice…" she said, as if that was going to help any. Roxas rolled his eyes. Women.

"That's what you think!" Sora roared so fiercely that Roxas thought his head was going to catch fire. "He's nice to the _other gender_, sure, and you could guess for what reasons!"

"The same reasons you're nice to Kairi," Roxas muttered flatly. He really wasn't in the mood for this.

"No, not the same," Sora corrected him. "I'm nice to Kairi because she's my friend and she's sweet and understanding and…"

"Pretty," Roxas concluded for him. "Face it, Sora. Do you really want me to believe that you only want Kairi to be your friend after all _this_?"

"Roxas!" shouted Olette in a not-the-time-for-this tone.

"Well, seriously!" Roxas retorted, feeling the urge to slap someone in the face. "If Sora didn't like her than he wouldn't hate Riku. They were best friends, remember, until they started getting little things called hormones!"

"Stop!" ordered Olette, looking mad as heck. "I can't believe you're shouting right now! Can't you see Sora has a problem?"

"At least I'm allowing myself to believe the truth in all this! You're the one raising your voice for no reason!"

"Guys." Sora stopped them with a single word. Roxas looked up at his face. He looked sullen and a bit angry. "I'd appreciate if you wouldn't yell all this on campus."

Olette turned all sweet and innocent again. Roxas then decided that _she_ was the one he wanted to slap. Who did she think she was fooling anyway?

"Seriously, can't you guys just make up already?" Sora said in a disconcertingly calm voice. "It's been awhile and you both know that you're yelling for no reason. You guys need your lives back so you give back mine."

"Sorry," Olette and Roxas said in unison. Not to each other, mind, but to Sora—taking lives was a definite no-no, especially when Sora was in major crisis mode. But no amount of panic was going to get Roxas to apologize to Olette. This was out of Sora's hands. Roxas was only here for the show, really. He'd bet Olette was here for the same reason.

Sora was now peering anxiously at Cocoa's, which, at the moment, seemed a million miles away. Kairi and Riku were hidden behind those glass windows, which sounded _pretty_ pathetic in Roxas's opinion.

"What could they possibly be doing?" Sora snapped, anger overtaking nervousness. "It's a _coffee shop_ for Pete's sake! You go to the counter, order coffee, and then what?"

"Um…sit down and drink the coffee?" Olette suggested, but Sora was beyond all reasoning.

"I'm going in there and saving Kairi," Sora remarked, looking determinedly at Roxas and Olette.

"Oh, yes, because Riku's quite the platinum-haired beast over there," Roxas stated sarcastically. "Once he gets his clutches on Kairi, she's a goner. That dangerous, world traveler is never to be trusted, especially since he's known Kairi for so long and treats her so well. Very suspicious."

"Exactly!" cried Sora, stomping off.

"Wait! Sora! I was kidding!" Roxas called after him. "Can't you hear sarcasm when…? Ugh. Never mind."

He turned to see Olette glaring at him accusingly. Jeez. Does this chick _ever_ stop nagging?

"What?" he snapped. "What now, dare I ask?"

"You just _had_ to provoke him!" she cried.

Provoking. Right. Of course.

"If you haven't noticed, he was already pretty provoked by the fact that Riku walked off with Kairi," Roxas said dryly.

"You didn't have to keep egging him on! What was that, anyway? 'Platinum-haired beast'! 'Never to be trusted'! Do you _want_ bloodshed to be involved?"

"Has no one in this town ever heard of _sarcasm_? Jeez!"

"Why'd you come here, anyway?" Olette was steaming. Her face was red and her voice was loud. Now Roxas was just waiting for smoke to come out of her ears. "To make a mess of things? To make sure Sora doesn't do the right thing and just tell Kairi how he feels? Oh, wait! Maybe you were here to practice your _sarcasm_, because obviously you're not very good at it!"

"Oh my God!" Roxas wasn't that happy-go-lucky either. "Will you just _shut up_ already?! Do you _ever_ keep your mouth closed, even for a second? Everything I do is bad, isn't it? Everything that doesn't turn out right is _my_ fault! Maybe in your world, Olette, but in mine the only demon that exists is a girl who"— he tugged one of her braids mockingly—"always has the same hairstyle every single day."

Olette slapped his hand away and glared.

"Why'd you come?" she said very directly.

"Because I was _dragged_ here, right from my apartment where I was _trying_ to avoid you."

"Avoid me?" Olette's face changed dramatically from diabolic to—was this actually happening?—sad.

"Uh, yeah. We're not exactly on the best terms, you and me." For some reason, Roxas felt like he was digging himself deeper and deeper into a hole.

And suddenly, the hole opened up to reveal the hot, boiling core of the planet and Roxas fell right in—Olette burst into tears. Oh…this wasn't good.

Now, if this had been some other girl who he had met a week ago or something, Roxas would've rolled his eyes and thought something along the lines of "oh jeez, here we go again". But it was not a girl he met a week ago. It was Olette.

"Are you okay?" he asked sincerely, very lightly touching her shoulder.

The tears dripped quickly from the sides of her face. She tried wiping them away but more came, so she turned her back on him. Roxas didn't know what was happening, which made it hard to react, so he fell silent.

"I just don't get what happened," she choked finally, and took off running to who-knows-where, leaving Roxas all by himself on campus, imagining Pence's grinning face over and over again.

_What if I just can't help myself? _

**Thank you so much for reading. And yes, I know this last part is random, and I know most of you think Pence was just a passing character, BUT HE'S NOT, OKAY?? Pence is like pie. Everyone likes pie. **

**Besides, most of you have been leaving in your reviews that Olette is a "crybaby", so I am going to address this now as she DID cry in this chapter. Yes, Olette cries a lot, and yes, her constantly fighting with Roxas is extremely annoying and this whole Riku-Kairi-Sora thing seems like just a distraction from that, but at least she has **_**reasons**_** to cry, people. I have met many crybabies in my time who cry for things like: **

**Losing a Musical Chairs game even though there's a party (NO WORK INVOLVED) in class. **

**Leaving their lunch bag on the bus even though it's coming back and we're getting free lunch PLUS we're in Wonderland (Canadian amusement park). **

**Being told off for bossing people around and thinking we're saying "horrible things" by telling (person) how we feel. No teachers were involved. No one raised their voices. No one was insulted.**

**So, yeah, doesn't Olette's reasons seem much better compared to THESE? I do believe they do. Not that I'm not saying she's cries way too much. I'm just saying. **

**Okay. Well. Sayanora. **

**Read and review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (II), Roxas, Olette, Seifer, etc.**

**Author's Note: Sorry to spring this on you, guys, but this is the last chapter of **_**What If**_**. And no, that doesn't mean it's on hiatus. (Dull look) It means this story is done and complete. Finito. Yes, this is the last chapter! I didn't even give myself a warning until it was over and done with! I just kept writing and writing, until it was all over and done with. Can you believe it?**

**Warning: This finale may seem a little cramped, but no worries, there will be an epilogue.**

**Quick Author Babble: Uwah! So fast!**

Chapter 16: Possible, Not Positive

Olette burst back into her apartment, gasping for breath. She had run all the way there, bursting through couples holding hands, slamming into old men with wobbly walking sticks, and colliding with some fellow students of TU, who gave her looks that screamed "she's crazy" as she raced by. Finally, reaching the familiarity of her apartment, she should've felt relieved and calm.

The brunette collapsed on the carpeted floor and wiped the remaining tears off her face. Ugh. Any more of these and she'd be dehydrated...

She was so stupid and immature. How could she be like this? If it had been the year before, no one would ever have expected Olette to cry like this, run away like this. She was the tomboy. She'd always had a tough exterior. In public, she was someone totally different.

So why? Why couldn't it be the same with Roxas? Why did he always make her feel like spilling her guts? Awful, really. You'd think he'd just play along like everyone else, but he always did such unpredictable things...

"Hey, Olette, you okay?" a male voice called, followed by knocking.

Seifer. Why couldn't he leave her alone for just once? Did that boy ever stay in his _own_ apartment? Sheesh.

Olette didn't want him to talk to her. She had an odd feeling the male race was out to get her. If she closed her eyes and ignored him, he would go away...

"Don't pretend you're not there," Seifer snapped. "I saw you run into your apartment, stupid."

"Stupid"! Well! She hadn't been wrong about the whole "male race" thing. But she didn't have to respond. She could just sit there, no matter what Seifer said.

"You know, if this is about Roxas," Seifer continued conversationally, "you should forget about him. If he hurts you this much and doesn't even care that he does so, then he's not worth it."

No...He didn't do it on purpose. Olette felt herself drowning in her own guilt. It was always her fault that they got into these fights. If she'd just mind her own business and not be so angry with him, she wouldn't be crying all the time. She had afflicted it on herself.

"We both know he's a jerk. You just cry all the time. It's not good for you, you know."

"Go away, Seifer," she murmured quietly. "Just go away."

The blond boy obliged. Olette listened to his footsteps slowly move down the hallway, and then they were joined by faster footsteps.

"Seifer! Is Olette home?" an out of breath voice panted.

Olette listened harder. The panting was making the voice difficult to decipher.

"Roxas!" Seifer cried loudly, and Olette suspected purposely. "What are you doing here, man? I haven't seen you mention Olette's name for..."

"Seifer!" Roxas exclaimed. "Shut up for a second! I know you find this an extremely difficult task, but I need you to listen to me! Is Olette here?"

There was a moment of silence. Olette clasped her hands together in prayer. She didn't want to talk to Roxas. Not now.

"Not that I know of," Seifer lied. "Why? You make her cry again?"

"Shut up!"

"Hey, my second's over. Anyway, she's not there. Knowing little Ollie, she's probably run off to the park where can she mourn about her dirt bag of a friend. See you later."

It sounded so believable that Olette almost found herself divulged in the lie as well, but then she quickly shook herself out of it. She could hear Seifer's footsteps fade away and then heard Roxas sigh.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the door as she listened to Roxas's footsteps drift away.

**xXx**

"Ollie! I am mad, mad, mad! How could you just ignore me like that? What kind of friend are you? Isn't there some law against this?"

"Sorry, Selphie," Olette said in a monotone voice.

"No, it's too late to be sorry!" the chestnut-haired girl screeched into the phone. "How could you do this to me? I'm waiting on the edge of my seat, waiting for the phone to ring or to get a letter back from you! I don't care if you're in a bad mood or not! I am your friend and you have a responsibility towards me!"

Olette sighed and listened to her friend drone on. Finally feeling guilty about ignoring the world, Olette decided she would call Selphie so they could both dwell on her problems. Her chatty best friend, however, wouldn't give her a chance to talk. Being oh so the drama queen, Selphie decided she would go into a long spiel about how she'd nearly gone to a psycho ward from Olette's ignorance. Olette was starting to wonder if talking to Selphie was a good idea.

"You, Miss Boone, have to get your butt in gear!" Selphie yelled. "Got it?"

"Got it," Olette sighed.

"Okay, I'm done now. What melodramatic situation has brought you to call me this fine day?"

Olette took a breath in and was about to explain when Selphie cut her off..._again_.

"Wait. Don't tell me. It begins with an "R" and ends with an "S", right?"

"Raisins?" Olette joked, playing the stupid role.

"What kind of university student are you?" Selphie scolded. "Roxas, of course!"

"Sorry, sorry. And yes, it does have _somewhat_ to do with Roxas..."

"Somewhat! It always has everything to do with Roxas, Ollie baby."

"Don't call me that. And it really is only somewhat! I just realized what a horrible friend I am!"

"_Just_ realized? Come on, Ollie poochie pie! After you didn't come in contact with me, your bestest friend in the whole wide world, in forever, and _then_ you realize this? Boy, you're slow. How did you ever get into that fancy school of yours?"

"Stop calling me weird names! And it's not because of that."

"Then what is it? Did Roxas kiss you again? That dog!"

Olette turned bright red and bit into a chip angrily.

"Of course not!"

"Then what, Olliepop?"

Olette sighed and decided to let that one slide.

"I keep yelling at him, and right after I _always_ feel guilty. I can't hate him if I tried! And I _do_ try! Seriously! And then he's all nice to me! I mean, what the heck! Get a temper, will ya?"

"Oh, jeez, Ollie bee..."

"I don't know what to do! Are we just destined to be friends or what? Can't I just not like him for a second? Can't he just stop trying?"

"What do you think he's trying to do when he's being nice to you?"

"I...I don't know! Get inside my brain and make me trust him so he can kill me from the inside?"

Selphie released a breath that screamed, "what an idiot."

"Roxas _likes_ you, stupid! No, not even likes! He's head over heels in love with you!"

"What...?"

"I don't know if either of you even notice, but you two are, like, totally in love with each other! Maybe you two just get scared about things like that and that's why you get into fights all the time. I thought you two could work it out eventually, but obviously you're hopeless. Who knew a couple of geniuses could be so dumb."

"But that's..."

"Weird, I know. Thinking about Roxas in that way. But look at all the facts in front of you, Ollie holly! You've kissed twice, you hated his ex-girlfriend, you always get into a fit of emotions around him, he's so incredibly nice to you, you can't hate him if you try...I think it's pretty clear what's going on here."

**xXx**

"Roxas!"

Olette raced down the street, snowflakes drifting into her brown hair, calling out for the blond boy. Where could he be? She tried to think of clues.

"_Knowing little Ollie, she's probably run off to the park where she can mourn about her dirt bag of a friend." _

Of course! The park! She raced towards the green area, her lungs hurting with every step she took. Olette hadn't been getting much exercise lately, but she felt like this one could last her a year.

Olette ran around the park like a madwoman—the swings, the monkey bars, the slide, the climber, the picnic area, the frozen lake—nowhere. Finally, in a final step of desperation, she walked up to a blonde woman to ask if she knew anything.

"He's about two feet taller than me," Olette explained. "Spiky, blond hair, really blue eyes, ivory skin. Have you seen him?"

"Actually, I believe I have," the woman murmured thoughtfully. "He was by the swings. But you just missed him."

"Really?" Olette sighed, disappointed. "Do you know which direction he went?"

The woman shook her head.

"Sorry, dear."

"Oh. Thanks anyway."

Olette had to think fast. Where would he go? To ask Sora and Kairi? Back to his apartment in defeat? To the university to ask more people? There were so many possibilities Olette's head was spinning.

Olette shook herself awake. She'd search every nook and cranny of this city if she had to. She wasn't going to give up. She had done it far too many times.

First stop, Cocoa's Coffee Shop.

**xXx**

Olette stepped into the warm café. Everything desirable in the world hit her all at once—warmth, the enchanting smell of pastries, a strong coffee scent calling out to her—but she ignored it. She walked and looked over all the tables, and felt herself screech to a stop at one.

There was a very unexpected event happening at the table—Sora and Kairi were kissing so hard it's like their faces were glued together. Olette couldn't help but shiver. Even so, her eyes were wide as saucers.

"Okay, guys, take it easy," she said. "We're in a public place, you know."

Sora pulled away and looked at her. He had sparkles from Kairi's lip gloss all over him. A bit disturbing.

"Oh, hi, Olette," Sora remarked. "Roxas was just here. He's looking for you."

Ugh. Another near miss. But Olette allowed herself to get a little distracted.

"When did this happen?" she asked, pointing at the two of them.

"Well, you see, Riku explained to us that he had only come here to get me to start going out with him again," Kairi explained, "and that's when Sora hear finally managed to spill that he loved me. So of course..."

"You liked Sora more," Olette said, looking at her watch, feeling the tiniest bit jealous. "That's great. Congratulations! Gotta go!"

"And then Riku just left!" Sora added with a chuckle, calling after Olette's quickly retreating back. "Steaming, literally!"

"You always have to throw that in, don't you?" Kairi muttered.

"Of course!" Sora laughed. "I scared him away! Goodbye, Riku, hello, Sora!"

Olette groaned. How on Earth could Sora and Kairi be so lucky? Their "gigantic" Riku problem faded away after a single day, and Olette had taken four and a half months to even realize anything, let alone that it was taking her hours to _find_ Roxas, let alone to talk to him.

Perhaps she could pay Riku to fall in love with her?

**xXx**

Olette entered Roxas's apartment building and raced all the way to his room. She was praying with all her heart that he'd be there. She knocked on the door. No answer. She knocked again. And again. And again.

Maybe he was being stubborn like she was earlier that day. Well, she wasn't giving up.

"Roxas!" she called. "Roxas, it's me, Olette!"

"He's not in there, you know."

Olette jumped at the voice and swung around to face the tall, silver-haired boy known as Riku. His aquamarine eyes were piercing into her.

"R-Riku," she murmured shakily. It was obvious he wasn't in a good mood. "H-How are you doing?"

"That's none of your business," Riku replied. "The point is, he's not there. I saw him running around outside like a chicken with his head cut off about five minutes ago. Oh, by the way, he's looking for you."

Olette groaned.

"Do you know where he is?" she asked in a pleading voice.

"No idea." Riku shrugged, and that's when Olette noticed the suitcase he was dragging behind him. She gave him a look of complete sympathy. Riku ignored it and turned away. "Well, I'll miss my plane if I don't hurry."

"Okay, sure," Olette squeaked. He sure had connections to leave that fast. "Bye, Riku. Maybe we'll meet again someday."

Riku snorted and turned to look at her.

"I seriously doubt that."

Then he was gone.

Olette felt her stomach churning, feeling guilty for something she didn't do. Riku had come all this way to see Kairi, and he was seriously turned down. And thinking about how Sora and Kairi were in Cocoa's, they probably threw it right in his face. And all he wanted to do was build up the bravery to say his feelings out loud.

Olette sighed and blew a strand of wet hair from her frozen face. She hoped she didn't turn out the same way.

**xXx**

Olette slushed back through the snow, hanging her head in defeat. She'd checked the entire building of TU, and all she had been met with was "Roxas was just here" and "Roxas is looking for you." How is it possible that she and Roxas could have same train of thought, but hers was always slower? It wasn't fair.

She trudged back and forth through the streets, but she knew it was hopeless. She'd turned Twilight Town upside down in search for Roxas and he wasn't _anywhere_. He was like the freaking invisible man!

Okay, Olette told herself, calm down. He was bound to show up somewhere. They were attending the same university and only lived a few blocks from each other. They had the same friends and went to the same coffee shop. How difficult could it be to run into each other?

Olette's stomach gurgled. She sighed. It was no use to run around if she was bound to find Roxas at some point. She could wait until tomorrow, if she didn't get frostbite beforehand. Besides, she was _starving_. She'd call Selphie and tell her all her woes, and she'd probably be asleep before her head hit the pillow.

It all sounded so welcoming to Olette that her stubborn self couldn't even stop her from marching towards her apartment building. She wanted to rest and eat and talk like a normal human being. She was so tired that she walked with a slump into the elevator.

She counted the seconds until she finally reached her hallway, and suddenly, almost like magic, there was Roxas, leaning against her door and looking at his shoes with intensity.

In that moment, her hunger, sleepiness, and annoyance all melted away as she stared at Roxas with wide, emerald eyes. Could it be true? Was he really there? Maybe it was a mirage from lack of nutrition.

"Roxas?" she squeaked, hoping with all the hope she had left in her heart that he was real.

The blond boy looked up, and he seemed to snap out of his daze as she came into focus.

"Olette!" he exclaimed. "Finally! Where were you? I was looking for you everywhere!"

"Well, I was looking for _you_ everywhere!" Olette cried. "Then I realized I was stupid for running around and decided I would just go back home because I was exhausted."

"That was a good idea," Roxas sighed, "because I came here thinking that you were bound to come back sometime."

Silence. Olette dug the tip of her boot into the carpeted floor.

"Roxas..." she began. It was a lot harder to say it than she imagined, especially with him looking at her like that. Her cheeks flushed, making the iciness on her skin become more apparent.

"Olette..." Roxas began a sentence of his own.

Neither could finish. Roxas twisted around and put his head against the door, not daring to face the brunette. Olette could swear she felt a spindly thing climbing up her throat, not allowing her to speak.

"Olette, I...I think...I think I might..." he stuttered, hesitating. "Well, remember how before you said you didn't know what happened? It got me thinking, and..."

Please stop talking, Olette pleaded in her mind. She felt like she was going to die. From what, no one knew.

"I was scared." Roxas was going to continue talking anyway. Well, that was just great. "I was scared because I didn't understand what was happening. Why, whenever I was around you..."

Olette put her hands over her red cheeks. She couldn't stop blushing. And he wouldn't stop talking!

"Never mind," Roxas laughed nervously. "The point is, Olette, I think...I might be..."

Oh, no, no, no! Olette squeezed her eyes shut tight. Her head was going to explode.

"Totally in love with you."

Olette felt like she had blacked out. She blinked dazedly in the light, and Roxas was still standing there, cerulean eyes carefully watching her. Had she screamed? She was pretty sure she hadn't screamed, but it would be understandable if she did...

"I..." She tumbled against the wall for balance. "Um...I..."

How could anyone possibly be so courageous to say all that at once? Olette couldn't even get a full sentence out.

"I...maybe...quite possibly...might love you...as well..." she said, big breaks in her voice.

Oh, crap! That was terrible! She felt like banging her head into the wall. Selphie was already scolding her. She could hear it from far away. She was hoping that a rush of emotions would ease the words out, but her feelings were hiding from her today...

Roxas laughed and tugged on one her braids.

"That's good enough for me...possibly," he teased, eyes twinkling.

What? How could he be so cool about this? Olette felt like she was about to faint! A rush of color turned her whole face red, enough to put Santa to shame.

He was leaning in now. Olette found her brain return to her skull and she, as calmly as she could, put a hand out to stop him.

"I think we've done that far too much," she said, trying to sound gentle but forceful at the same time. "Maybe when I'm positive about this."

"Instead of thinking it's possible," Roxas agreed, but he looked the tiniest bit disappointed. "That's fair."

Roxas helped her stand up straight from the wall without her legs toppling from underneath her.

"Hey," he stated, "if I promised I would be a better boyfriend than a friend, would you be more trusting towards me?"

"B-B-Boyfriend?" Olette stuttered. The red returned to her face.

"I'm just joking around with you, Olette." And before she had time to react, Roxas kissed her on the cheek.

Olette tumbled back against the wall, feeling shaky all over. The warmth spread all over her body until her bones felt like rubber.

"Sorry." Roxas attempted a sheepish smile. "Couldn't resist."

"Revenge!" Olette exclaimed, grabbing him and kissing him, long and hard, on the lips.

Roxas's blue eyes were looking at her, very wide and very shocked. Slowly, a blush crept onto his face. He spun around and scratched the back of his neck.

"Well, then. Goodnight, Olette."

"'Night, Roxas," Olette said with the slightest chuckle in her voice.

After all that, she had still managed to get the last laugh.

_What if we ended up getting our happy ending after all?_

**The End  
**

**Well, what do you think? Now I know most of you are thinking, "what a crappy ending for this action-filled, teary-eyed, emotionally drastic story" but to be honest, I had absolutely NOTHING to put into it. Originally, my plan w**_**as**_** for this to be the last chapter, but then I realized the SoraxKairixRiku triangle would be left unfulfilled. But then, when I started writing this chapter, around the part where Olette's talking to Selphie on the phone, I was thinking this was just too good an opportunity to pass up. I mean, I'd already given a rather stupid excuse to make the kiss unromantic, so this...this...No, I wasn't giving up my beloved chase scene! So I just let everything get mashed in there like meatloaf. **

**Please stay tuned for the epilogue! It'll come...relatively soon...**

**Read and review!**

**Asta la vista!**


	17. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (II), Selphie, Pence, Olette, etc. **

**Author's Note: I have been writing non-stop because I'm afraid of what will happen once school starts and I can't write as much. This is my second day of writing continually and this is the third update I have put up. Oh, yeah, and this is officially the end of What If. I feel really bad about ending it so abruptly, but it's too late now.**

**Warning: Can I get rid of these? Like, seriously. **

**Quick Author Babble: I love Selphie! She was my favorite character in this story!**

Epilogue: The Answer

Selphie stood frozen in the train station, watching person after person pass her—people she did not care about, people she didn't know, all just going on their merry way as she wondered what she was going to see. After all this time, she was going to see them all again, and she was wary.

Who were "they", exactly? Oh, you know, Selphie's so-called friends—the people who had finished their time in university and had degrees and certificates and the memories that Selphie missed out on.

Four years. Four years since she'd seen them last. Her best friend had disappeared, never returning back to the outskirts. She was busy, caught up in her life and her work and her freedom.

Selphie closed her eyes and breathed in. What would they all look like? She'd grown up, she knew. She was twenty-two years old, hardly considered a teenager, and also a graduate of her scummy school, but she had never considered herself a success. She didn't think she was different. Maybe she was. Maybe to them.

She remembered that phone call—that phone call only two weeks ago saying they were all coming to celebrate. Celebrate what? They hadn't told Selphie, so she was anxious.

Their lives had changed and forever would be, their questions had answers, and their future didn't seem so far away anymore. Selphie guessed that was what growing up was, and they had all passed that line except, maybe, her.

"Waiting?"

A voice behind her nearly made her jump right out of her skin, but it sounded comfortingly familiar. She turned to face Pence. He had grown taller and thinner, and some stubble was apparent on his face, but his expression was the same—calm and understanding.

"Yes," Selphie replied, smiling. "I want to be the first thing Ollie sees."

"I'm waiting too," Pence stated, calmly observing her. "Roxas called me and said something about a 'celebration.' There was so much noise I could hardly hear him."

"Do you know what it is?" Selphie asked. "What they're celebrating for?"

"I don't know, but the possibilities are endless." Pence sighed and tapped his shoes against the floor. "It's been awhile. I've become totally out of touch."

"I've become infrequent too," Selphie agreed, nodding. "I barely remember what everyone looks like."

Pence smiled.

"Things have been going well though," he remarked. "I heard that Sora and Kairi got together."

"That was years ago," Selphie scoffed.

"Maybe. But it's new to me. I need to see it with my own eyes."

"I need to see something for myself too."

Pence's expression softened.

"Roxas and Olette?"

Selphie nodded, her throat constricting. It was much weirder to hear their names together than she had imagined. She could see them together. She remembered squealing about how good-looking Roxas was when she was barely considered an adult. Olette was perfect for him. They were perfect for each other.

Olette had barely handled the strain at the start, but now she was so happy. It was like an enormous weight had been lifted off the world, and Selphie loved Roxas for it. She loved Roxas for existing sometimes, for making Olette the person who'd Selphie had always dreamed of her being. She had known from the start that was Roxas was everything for Olette, and he still was.

"Ollie's so happy," Selphie said, smiling. Even though years had passed, Selphie couldn't bring it in herself to drop the nickname Olette despised so much. "Your friend is quite a guy. Oblivious, maybe, but great."

"You're the cause of all this, you know," Pence remarked, startling Selphie. "Roxas told me. Olette called you and you told her all you knew. That's what started it."

Selphie shrugged humbly.

"Well, you're the one who gave Roxas all that advice that stuck to him like sticky tack," Selphie praised. "That's what got Roxas all worked up in the first place."

It was Pence's turn to shrug.

"Just call us the love gurus," he laughed, and Selphie joined in.

"In the end, really, though," Selphie remarked, "we didn't do anything at all. It was them who had the feelings, and them who kept them close all these years."

Pence was looking at her, bemused. Selphie threw him a look of her own.

"What?" she asked a little snippily.

"You've changed," he stated simply.

"I've changed?"

"Drastically. By now you'd be bouncing off the walls at the mention of Roxas and Olette. This is a new side of you. Actually, you seem kind of…depressed."

Selphie sighed and looked at the ground.

"Well, I am sort of unhappy," she admitted.

"Why? What's wrong?" The genuine worry in Pence's voice made Selphie feel better.

"You're going to think I'm silly," she remarked.

"No, I won't. I promise."

"I've…" She took a breath in. "I've always sort of wanted what Olette had. A good school, lots of memories, lots of friends, and a love life. All I've been doing, really, is waiting for her to get back so I can feel wanted again."

Pence was looking at her in sympathy.

"You know," he said quietly, "you shouldn't just sit around and wish you were someone else. You're not Olette. You're Selphie. Get out there. Do something _you_ want to do. Get friends that want _you_. Get the guy _you_ love. Putting your life on standby…it just isn't going to work."

Selphie admonished Pence with new eyes. Could such wisdom come in such a package? Messy, dark hair, tired, brown eyes, and a height that wasn't all that impressive was not what you would picture when you think of an all-knowing oracle, but there he was.

"Thank you, Pence!" Selphie squealed, hugging him tightly, spirits lifting.

"Erm…I think you're feeling better," Pence commented, wrestling with his breath because the girl was squeezing him so hard.

A distant sound of a train coming forward could be heard. Selphie froze, lime green eyes wide.

"They're here," she whispered. She couldn't believe it. Even the words felt strange and unfamiliar on her tongue.

"Yeah…" The way Pence was gazing dreamily out into the distance, Selphie could tell that he was thinking the same thoughts as she was. Would things be the same as they were four years ago? What would they see? What would they all look like? The questions whirred around in the young adults' heads until the train finally pulled to a stop in front of them.

Selphie was nervous. She was nervous and excited and a little bit scared, therefore trembling violently. She chewed her pink, nail-polished fingernails and tried not to explode. Beside her, Pence still had that weird look in his eyes, expectant but wondrous.

"_Main City arrival,"_ a dull voice spoke over the intercom. _"Main City arrival." _

Selphie's breathing pattern turned into desperate gasps for air. The doors to the train opened. People filed out, and not one person did she recognize, but her gaze passed fleetingly over every one of them, and she couldn't help but wonder if Olette maybe got a little taller like that person, or got her hair cut and was that person and Selphie just didn't recognize her.

Pence was also looking around in bewilderment. Where were they? When the flow of people turned into a trickle, Selphie heard a familiar voice shout out.

"Roxas! Come on! Can't you gather your things a little faster?"

"Calm down, Olette. Jeez. The train station will still be here in a few seconds."

Pence and Selphie exchanged excited looks. They were here. That was definitely them. And, as if to add to the excitement, more familiar voices chimed in.

"_Sora! _Give me back my sunglasses _right now_!"

"Okay, okay! Why do you need to wear them on the train anyway?"

Selphie hugged her bag and squeezed her eyes shut. She felt nauseous, but in a good way, even though impatience was eating her alive.

And suddenly, there they were.

Olette looked a little more tanned than Selphie last remembered, and her hair was much shorter, but she still wore them up in her trusted braids. Her emerald eyes were very familiar, wide and caring, and as Roxas said something that made her laugh her smile was very much the same.

"_Ollie!" _Selphie exclaimed, tackling her best friend in a bear hug.

"_Selphie!"_ cried Olette with the same amount of enthusiasm, just not as high-pitched.

Selphie took another step back to look at her friend one more time. She got tears in her eyes. She couldn't help it. She was a sap for both goodbyes and hellos.

"I can't believe it…after all this time…" she sobbed, wiping the water away from her eyes.

"I'm sorry!" Olette apologized sincerely. "I can't believe I separated us for so long! I wanted to see you so badly!"

They collapsed into a hug.

"I love you, Ollie!"

"I love you too, Selphie!"

"Hey." Roxas's stern voice broke the beautiful moment. "_I'm_ Olette's boyfriend, thank you very much."

Selphie focused her gaze on Roxas.

"Hey, Roxas!" she greeted, elbowing him in the gut. "Long time no see! Gained some weight, I see!"

Roxas glared at her and rubbed his stomach, pouting.

Roxas was actually very attractive, with his serious, periwinkle eyes, dark blond hair, and ivory skin. There wasn't much difference from how he looked back then to now, except that his muscles were more finely toned. Selphie enjoyed teasing him anyway.

"Hey, Roxas!" called Pence, patting Roxas on the back. "You're looking well."

"Better than well, actually," Roxas replied. "And you? How's your apartment holding up?"

"Good, I guess. It's been sort of strenuous getting to the university and back without my car."

"Aw, what a formal conversation," Olette teased. "You boys haven't already forgotten how to have fun, have you?"

"Oh, no, I remember," Roxas said, smiling mischievously at Olette, then seizing her around the waist and kissing her lightly on the lips.

Well, Selphie had seen it with her own eyes, and she could feel the familiar and warm sensation of pride for her best friend. She smiled at Pence who grinned back with valor.

"Blech. Get a room, won't you, you two?"

Unfortunately, other people weren't feeling quite as welcoming as Selphie about the whole thing. Roxas let go of Olette and sent a glare over his shoulder at the approaching person.

"Oh, shut up, Sora. You and Kairi make-out in public at every chance you get."

"Someone getting jealous?" the brunet teased, clapping Roxas on the shoulder and grinning at Selphie. "Hi, Selphie. Nice to see you again."

"Ditto," the chestnut-haired girl replied, half-waving.

Sora's hair was shorter and less spiky than Selphie remembered, and he didn't seem quite so gangly anymore. His eyes were still very wide and very blue, and his skin was still brown from spending too much time in the sun.

"Ah! Selphie! I love your hair!"

Selphie looked around to see what the cause of that compliment was just as she was enveloped in a hug. The person pulled away to reveal violet eyes looking at her cheerfully.

"Hi, Kairi!" chirped Selphie, a sunny smile coming across her features.

"You still have the same fashion sense, I see," Kairi giggled, looking at Selphie's orange, beaded tank top with longing. "I'm so jealous."

_She_ was jealous? Selphie couldn't quite remember Kairi being so beautiful. Her hair was so long it was in her lower back area, wavy, red and shiny. Her eyes were twinkling and a vibrant purple, her eyelashes long, thick, and black. Her skin was smooth and pale, but not so pale she looked sickly. Her lips were almost bubble gum pink and in the form of a warm smile.

"Wow!" Selphie exclaimed. "You look great!"

"Thank you!" Kairi responded. "Things have been going well around here, I assume? You look like a million bucks!"

The compliment competition was about to continue when Roxas hushed everyone.

"Okay, for those of you who are still not sure what's going on, we're going to my house where we'll make the big announcement!" Roxas stated ecstatically, smiling at Selphie and Pence as they exchanged confused looks.

Selphie once again found herself grappling onto what they were there for. She needed an answer to all her questions.

**xXx**

Everyone was seated in the living room of the Heras' house. Everyone was chatting, but Selphie herself couldn't indulge in it. Her head was whirring. She was thinking of every possible reason that they'd have to celebrate and gather them all in a room like this, especially since she and Pence were the only people who had no idea.

"Okay," Olette clapped her hands with a beaming smile. "I suppose we should get this over with."

Olette beamed at Selphie, giving a side glance to Pence.

"Selphie, Pence…" she began, holding up her left hand, where a glittering, diamond ring was in place on her ring finger, "Roxas and I are getting married."

The silence that she got in return was so unnerving that Olette's smile faltered. Selphie's eyes were wide with shock, and she was so happy she couldn't form it into words. Meanwhile, Pence sat there spluttering like a complete idiot, taking the whole "oracle" thing to a whole new low.

Finally, after her dazed blunder, Selphie grabbed the sides of her face and squealed so loudly the house shook.

"THIS IS SO GREAT, OLLIE!!" she yelled, hugging her best friend with the strength of a sumo wrestler.

"Y-Yeah…" Olette stuttered, gasping for air.

"I mean…the ring…it's so pretty!" Selphie gasped, holding up Olette's hand. "And…and…oh, God, I'm too overwhelmed!"

She wanted to ask how this happened, when it happened, _where_ it happened. But she was too excited for that. She rocketed around the room, looking more like an eight year old than a twenty-two year old. She grabbed Olette into another strangling hug before Roxas pulled her away.

"Please don't kill my fiancée," he said coolly.

"We're getting married here, since we both grew up here," Olette explained after getting her breath back. "We want you to come. You too, Pence."

"I think I'm going to cry," Selphie remarked, eyes filling with unshed tears. "Of course we'll come. Right, Pence?"

Pence nodded, and even though he looked dumbstruck, Selphie knew he was very happy.

"When is it?" Selphie sniffled, wiping her eyes one more time. She was just a sucker for romantic things like weddings. "The ceremony?"

"Autumn," Olette informed her, "on October 15th."

"Oh, Ollie…" Selphie allowed another tear to escape before continuing. "I'd always hoped you would get married in the fall! You're just a fall person!"

Pence nodded in agreement, but said nothing. Finally, Sora nudged him and urged him to say at least _something_, so finally he obliged.

"Marriage," Pence said, causing everyone to stare right at him. "I'm so happy. Roxas wouldn't be able to find anyone better for him than Olette."

Selphie and Kairi let out an "awww" as Olette turned pink and Roxas smiled and put an arm around her.

"I know," he replied.

Selphie was soon to be a blubbering mass of tears if she didn't control herself. The doorbell rang and she launched to get it to distract herself.

"Hello, Hera residence," she greeted as if she was answering the phone instead of the door.

She looked up to see a very, very, _very_ tall man, with long, silver hair, and aquamarine eyes that glinted with almost threat. He was very pale, almost like a ghost, and had quite a lot of muscles bulging out. He was looking at her decisively.

"You're not Olette," he blurted out.

"No, you're right about that," Selphie giggled. "I'm Selphie. And you are…?"

"Riku," the man replied. "I'm here to see Roxas and Olette?"

Riku, Riku, Riku…where had Selphie heard that name before? It sounded pretty familiar…

Ah, well.

"Sure," she replied. "Come on in."

"Thanks."

He stepped in and Selphie led him to the living room, where all seemed to freeze at the sight of him, except for Olette, who stood up and welcomed him with a hug.

Riku's eyes landed on Sora and Kairi, and he quickly looked away. He looked so sad. And finally Selphie recognized him.

Riku was that guy who was in love with Kairi and came all the way to Twilight Town to see her, but Kairi loved Sora and rejected him, so he left Twilight Town without another word and never came back. Well, until now, anyway.

"Told you we'd meet again," Olette said with a smile.

"Well, what do you do when you get a wedding invitation?" Riku replied with a shrug. "I had no reason to be a jerk and miss the wedding."

"Yeah." Olette smiled at him, and gestured for Roxas to come over. Roxas obliged, keeping a steady gaze on her that said "you're crazy."

But Selphie understood. Weddings were happy days where you get to catch up with everyone you know before your life changes forever. And here they all were, sitting in her living room, Riku there because it was what he needed. Weddings represented unity and bonds, and Riku needed those. He was invited, and he would be there at the wedding, and what needed to be discussed would be discussed.

It was the answer—the best answer anyone could find. All the answers to Selphie's questions were suddenly appearing in front of her, and she knew it wasn't too late to turn her life around. She turned and winked at Pence, who nodded with his own understanding.

Pence…

**How's about that for crack? Pence and Selphie! Well, it didn't end exactly romantically, so it doesn't really matter, I guess. You can want them together or you can't but I refuse to put Selphie with Riku because she is too short and Riku will step on her one day and she will get SQUASHED! **

**Okay, so…this is the end of What If. The end of the world has befallen us!! Boo, hoo, hoo, hoo! But…uh…yeah. Bye. **

**Read and review!**

**Buenos noches, amigos. **


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